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THE NEW YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARf

A8T0R, LENOX AND
TiLaeN FOUNDATIONS.

•miE^f o #^?3 ® ^ E'^^'' ^[^©i^®®^©

THE

tumzuB anh (^l^tx Sritin

KEV. ANDREW BROADDUS,

A MEMOIE OF HIS LIFE

J. B. JETER, D. D

EDITED BY

A. BROADDUS,

ION OF THB AUTHOK, AND MINISTER OF THB GOSPEL,

PUBLISHED BY LEWIS COLBY,
No. 122 Nassau-Street.

1852.

THE NEW YORK

PUBLICLIBRARY

di li ^h ^y &'=^o

ASTOR, LENOX AND
TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.

R 1900. L

Entered according to Act of Congress, in tlie year 1851, by

Lewis Colby.

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of tlie United States for the

Southern District of New- York.

PUDNEY AND RRSSELL, PRINTERS.

%■

DEDICATION.

TO THE MINISTERS AND CHURCHES OE THE

DOVER AND RAPPAHANNOCK ASSOCIATION,

The following tribute, to one, who, for many
years, was a wise counsellor and a brilliant orna-
ment of the Dover Association, and at the time
of his death a loved and venerated member of the
Kappahannock Association, is most respectfully in-
scribed by the Author, who, on the eve of quitting
his native state, would leave this slight testimonial
of the grateful sense which he will carry with him,
to his new and distant field of labor, of their un-
intermitted kindness, through a period of a quar-
ter of a centur}^

August, 1851,

PREFACE

In presenting to the public a collection of the sermons and
other writings of my revered father, it is neither necessary nor
proper that I should speak of his character as a preacher or a
•writer.

It seems desirable, however, that something should be said"
in reference to the shape tiiis work wears, and the part I have
borne in its preparation.

Immediately after the death of my father, his family and
acquaintances expressed an earnest and unanimous wish, that
his biography should be prepared, and his sernuons and other
writings compiled by a competent hand, for pubhcation. Dr.
Jeter consented to undertake this work. His early removal,
however, from the state of Virginia, prevented him from
prosecuting the undertaking farther than the preparation of the
memoir. Two other eminent Baptist ministers were then
sohcited to perform that service which Dr. Jeter's removal
prevented him from accomplishing. Both of these dechned
the undertaking — the one on the ground of numerous engage-
ments and pressing duties — the other, because of ill-health.

VI PREFACE.

The consequence of all this was, that the work almost inevita-
bly devolved on the present editor.

The character of the materials here used rendered a very-
methodical arrangement of them entirely impracticable. Most
of these articles were not originally intended to have any con-
nection with each other. Some of them (necessarily placed
here in immediate juxtaposition) were penned at intervals of
months, and sometimes even of years between each other ; and
all were written without any expectation, on the part of the
author, of their pubHcation. By bearing in mind this statement,
the reader will be prepared to account for the want of imme-
diate connection which sometimes exists between articles on the
same subject, and for the occasional repetition of the same
thought in different articles. It is hoped, however, that the
want of very exact methods may prove, in this case, a recom-
mendation rather than a defect. An opportunity is thus afford-
ed for variety; and thus the views of the author are exhibited
on most of those subjects, which have engaged the attention of
the friends and the foes of religion. In this way, too, a body
of Divinity will be furnished to the religious pubhc, and espe-
cially to the Baptist community, which, though not so methodical
or ponderous as other treatises, may yet prove, it is believed,
equally interesting and profitable.

The reader who is famiUar with the history of the Baptists
in the United States during the last thirty years, may expect
to find in this work the "Extra Examined," and other pro-
ductions of the author's pen, on what is usually called the
" CampbeUite Controversy." These articles have been omitted,
because, on account of their length, they would have swelled

PREFACE. Vll

the volume to such a size as would, probably, have limited its
circulation, and consequently have impau-ed its usefulness. It is
thought, too, that Mr. Campbell's views have been somewhat
modified since the controversy commenced, and that conse-
quently the arguments, originally adduced in opposition to them,
would now also require some modification. Still should these
^vritings sSem to be demanded by the public, they may yet
appear in a separate volume.

Should any one ask why so long a time, after the death of
the author, has been suffered to elapse before the appearance of
this work, I reply, that the delay has been owing mainly to the
difficulty encountered in collecting materials.* Many of these
were to be found in newspapers and manuscripts in the posses-
sion of persons scattered over the country, from Virginia to
Texas. Letters, addressed to those in possession of materials
needed in compiling tliis work, have been, in some instances,
neglected, and thus much time has been lost.

The pressing duties pertaining to my position as pastor of
three churches, in the country, have also operated to retard the
progress of the work.

I may be permitted to say of the memoir, which appears in
this volume, that it fully sustains Dr. Jeter's reputation. I do
not know how I could better commend it to the reader as a well
written, instructive, and interesting biography.

* A good deal of time has also been spent in negotiations in regard to its
publication.

Yin PREFACE.

And now, commending the whole work to the blessing of
God, and the acceptance of brethren and friends, I close, by
wishing

Grace, Mercy, and Peace.

A. BROADDUS,
Whitk Plains, 1851.

Contents.

MElOm OF THE REY. ANDREW BROADDUS,

By Rev. J. B. Jeter, D. D.

Page.
1

Sermons.

Holding Forth the Word of Life, . . . ,

Christ Crucified, the Subject of the Grospel Ministry

The Atonement, ....

The Universal Spread of the Gospel,

The Remedy for Heart-Troubles,

Christ and his friend Lazarus,

The Origin, Use, and End of Scripture,

The Messiah's Dominion,

88
106
110
126
141
149
160

MtB on Mtn €nu of Itriptnre,

WITH ORIGINAL REMARKS, ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED.

Admonitions and Hints for Myself, . . . .173

All and in All— Christ— Col. iii. 10, .... 174

Apostrophe and Personification — Animated Figures in

Preaching — Example, 175

X CONTENTS.

Page.

Armor — Saul's, 175

Accusations of the Wicked against the Righteous, . . 175

Balm of Gilead, 175

Bow — Rainbow, 178

Baptism, . 178

Bruised Reed, 201

Character, 204

Conscience, 204

Christ considered as our Apostle and High Priest, . . 204

Decrees, 20

Enlisting Soldiers for Jesus, the Captain of our Salvation, . 210

Evidence of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures, . 210

Election, Sovereign and Free, 210

Enmity of the World, &c 211

Female Labor in Advancing the Gospel, . . . .211

Faith, 222

Fearers of God, 222

God in the Character of an Adversary or Warrior, . 227

Glory of the Latter House, .... 228

CONTENTS. XI

Page

Invulnerable Christians are so in a certain sense, . .237

Infidelity, 238

Inspiration — all Scripture given by it, . . . . 238

Judicious Manner of Our Lord's Speaking, . . . 238

Judicious Treatment of Different Cases, .... 240

Kingdom of Christ and of Satan Contrasted, . . . 240

Lamp, Grod's Word compared to, 241

Love, 241

Love of God, 241

Lawful or Unlawful before God, 242

Murmuring, or Repining at the Dispensations of Providence, 242

Means, External, Insufficient, 243

Ministers of Christ, 243

Manna, 249

More than Conquerors, 249

Means of Grace, both External and Internal, . . . 250

Nativity of Jesus Christ, 250

Necessity, 252

Nature or Creation — Works of, 252

Prayer and Preaching as means of Grace, . . . 253

Promises of God adapted to every Condition of the Behever, 254

Property, Spiritual and Eternal, 255

Popery, 255

Xll -^ CONTENTS.

Qualifications for the Kingdom of Christ, . . . 255
Queries for tlie Skeptic, 258

Religion, Christian, 259

Rehgion of Jesus Divine, 259

Revelation of Divine Truths, 259

Revival of Believers, 260

Sin, all concluded under 261

Sovereignty of Divine Grace, 263

Testament of Jesus Christ, 264

Weight or Standard, 265

Ways or Paths, 266

Zone, Frigid, of Christianity, 267

nwm.

To Mr. W. Giiirey, 267

To Doctor Robert Honyman, 271

Addressed to John Gilman and WiUiam Reed, . . 276

To Rev. Robert Ryland, 279

To Rev. Elliot Estes, 285

To Rev. John Leland, 287

To Rev. ElUott Estes, 290

CONTENTS.

XIIJ

To Messrs. Jolm and Joseph Fox, .

To Rev. Eli Ball, ....

To W. H. and A. Broaddus, .

To W. H. Broaddus and A. Broaddus. Jr.

To A. Broaddus, Jr.,

To Miss Columbia Broaddus, .

To Rev. Joseph Fox,

To Mrs. Columbia Montague,

To Wilton H. Broaddus,

To Rev. Thornton Stringfellow,

To Mr. James Roy Micou,

To Rev. Joseph R. Grarlick,

To Rev. Robert W. Cole,

To Mrs. Columbia Montague,

To A. Broaddus, Jr.,

To the Mount Calvary Church, Sparta, Caroline,

To A. Broaddus, Jr

On Evangelical Faith,

The Obhgation of Sinners as to Faith,

On Faith in Christ,

The Exhibition of the Gospel^

Church Union,

Christian Union, No. II.,

Christian Union, l^o. III.,

Christian Union, No. lY.,

Review of a Sermon on Infant Baptism,

For "A Countryman,"

To Clericus, ....

A Query Concerning Baptism,

The Query Concerning Baptism,

The Case of Xenoi,

Strict Communion, No. I.,

CONTENTS.

Strict Communion, No. II.,

Biblical Criticism, No. I.,

To Onoma, No. II.,

Call to the Christian Ministry,

The Catholic Controversy,

A Yoice from a Watchman,

The Social System,

Mr. Smyth and the Apocalypse,

" What Manner of Man is This ?"

Valedictory of Elder A. Broaddus,

Andi-ew Broaddus's Valedictory,

Page.

462
478
480
•484
493
496
504
613
519
523
529

On the Fatal Conflagration of the Riclimond Theatre,
Valedictory Lines, for Mr. Rufus Chandler,

The Wandering Sinner,

The Christian Warfare,

Album,

Apology for inserting borrowed Pieces in an Album,
Consolation in Deep Distress, ....

533
536
637
537
539
639
640

Appendix, 641

MEMOIR

There is, among mankind, an almost miiversal desire to
become acquainted with the lives of eminent men. Every
thing relating to their birth, education, and progress
through the world, is carefully treasured up, faithfully
recorded, and transmitted as a precious legacy to posterity.
This curiosity is laudable. It shows that man, however
debased by sin, retains an innate admiration of the beau-
tiful, the great, and the sublime. This disposition, wisely
implanted by the beneficent Creator, may yield the most
valuable fruits. To minister to its gratification is the
direct object of biography. But the biographer — especially
the Christian biographer — should have a higher aim than
the mere indulgence of this propensity. By portraying
examples of virtue, of piety, of devotion to truth, of self-
sacrificing zeal for the promotion of human welfare, he
should endeavor to inspire all men, and especially the
young, with lofty aims, and sound moral principles, and to
guide them in a career, at once honorable to themselves
and beneficial to mankind. Nor are the examples of evil
men, illustrious for their genius and exploits, when truth-
fully delineated, less profitable to warn, than are those >f^
the good to encourage. The Supreme Ruler teaches men,
both by his providence and his word, this momentous
truth — that a life of piety is man's true interest, happiness
and glory.

Z MEMOIR OF THE

The late Rev. Andrew Broaddus was a distinguished
man. The knowledge of his virtues and his shining
talents was, it is true, confined within a comparatively
limited circle ; but within that circle no man was more
tenderly loved, or more highly admired. Many, who saw
him — listened to his thrilling eloquence, or enjoyed the
charm of his society — are curious to learn more of his life.
Had that life been faithfully recorded, with all its aspira-
tions, and fears, and struggles, and successes, and joys, and
sayings, and doings, it had been full of interest, instruction
and profit. We should have pictured before our eyes an
earnest, honest, diligent, noble life. But, alas ! the only
hand w^hich could have dra^vn that picture is cold, stiff and
entombed. Even while warm, and capable of wdelding
the pen of a master, it was guided by an instinctive
modesty, which forbade all reference to its own deeds.
Mr. Broaddus has left no records which can materially aid
in sketching his life. He was fond of writing, and, con-
sidering his numerous cares and various occupations, wrote
much ; but of himself — his experience, his labors, his con-
flicts— he recorded almost nothing. On the blank leaf of
a note-book is the record, in his own beautiful chirography,
of his birth, his baptism, and his ordination to the
Christian ministry ; and this is the only account furnished
by his own hand of the events of a deeply interesting life
of nearly fourscore years.

The Broaddus family in Virginia is of Welch descent —
a descent, of which no man need be ashamed. Many of
the most respectable and useful families of our country
have descended from that race of hardy, enterj^rising
mountaineers. Edward Broaddus, the progenitor of the
numerous family bearing that name in the United States,
first settled on Gwvn's Island, in the James River, in, we

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 3

know not precisely, what year. From this place he
removed, in 1715, to a small farm in the lower end of
Caroline County, Virginia. This farm is still the property
of some of his descendants ; and there is the cemetery
where many of the family continue to bury their dead.

John Broaddus, a son of Edward, was the father of
Andrew, the subject of this sketch. A man of strong and
active mind, and well-informed, he was first a school
teacher, and afterwards a farmer. He was a zealous
Churchman, bitterly opposed to all dissenters ; and his
devotion to the Established Church led him to publish one
or two pamphlets, intended to confute and ridicule the
Methodists, then a young and growing sect. He took
part in the fearful struggle which terminated in freeing the
American colonies from British domination. He acted as
commissary in the army ; and on one occasion, expecting
the approach of the British troops, he employed his son
Andrew, then a small boy, to conceal his papers in the
woods. He married a Miss Pry or, said to be a lineal de-
scendant of Pocahontas, whose blood flows in the veins of
so many distinguished families in Virginia. Of this
marriage, five sons and seven daughters Avere the bounti-
ful fruit.

The oldest son, William, possessed a bright int.ellect,
was liberally educated, and intended by his father for the
Episcopal ministry. But, alas ! how uncertain are all
human calculations ! He died in his 22d year, just before
the time set for his embarkation to England to receive
ordination, changing the cheering hopes of his fond rela-
tives into bitter disappointment and grief. Andrew,
though very young at the time of his brother's death,
loved him tenderly, and continued to the close of his life
to entertain a fragrant remembrance of his virtues, and a

MEMOIR OF THE

lively admiration of his shining talents. He was often
heard to say, that he thought him not inferior to Pope as
a poet. Making due allowance for fraternal partiality, it
cannot be questioned that William Broaddus was a young
man of rare genius, and great merit. His writings and
drawings were carefully preserved by his brother Andrew,
as an invaluable legacy, until they were, to his deep regret,
burned with the house in which he lived.

Few of the older men, who were accustomed to attend
the Dover Association, before its division, can have for-
gotten the tall and venerable form of Reuben Broad-
dus. He was a man of sound, but uncultivated intellect
— remarkable for his prudence, simplicity of manners,
and great firmness of purpose — for half a century an
efficient deacon of the Salem Baptist Church — an arbiter
of all neighborhood disputes — a counsellor of the per-
plexed, and a comforter of the distressed. Reuben was
the third son of John Broaddus.

Andrew, the youngest son of his father, was born at
the family residence in Caroline County, November the
4th, 1770. His childhood gave promise of his future
eminence. A thirst for knowledge, and an aptitude to
acquire it, w^ere among his earliest intellectual develop-
ments. His father, after the untimely death of his oldest
son, resolved that his youngest should be an Episcopal min-
ister. God, however, had other purposes concerning him.
Owing to the limited means of the family, or a change of
purpose, the scheme was not prosecuted. Andrew did
not receive the requisite trainmg for the office of deacon
in the established hierarchy.

The story would be full of interest and instruction,
could we record the steps by which this child of genius,
in an age and a region of comparative darkness, encom-

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 5

passed by difficulties, without instructors, without books,
without money, or any substitute for it, without literary
friends, and without even models to guide his aims and
inspire his zeal, attained to intellectual maturity. This
intellectual progress, however, can be but imperfectly
traced. Young Andrew received in all but nine months'
schooling. Of the manner of that schooling we have no
knowledge; but judging from, the systems of instruction
then almost universal in Virginia, we may reasonably
conclude that it was most imperfect. But God had en-
dowed this boy with an uncommon intellect. He early
felt in his bosom the kindlings of genius. He thirsted
for knowledge, as the hunted hart for the water-brook ;
and knowledge he resolved to obtain. And what cannot
be accomplished by a mind instinct with energy, and
firmly resolved'? Andrew educated himself, as, indeed,
every really great man, with more or fewer facilities for
the work, does.

Often, in that day, when the light of candles was a
luxury rarely enjoyed by persons in the middle class of
society, did this aspiring boy lie flat on his breast upon the
floor, poring over his book by the dim light of a pine-
knot on the hearth. From his father, who was an intelli-
gent man, and had some experience in school teaching, he
doubtless received some instruction ; but in what degree
he w^as indebted to him for the direction of his studies, or
his early attainments, does not appear.

The events of Andrew's youth have already passed to
oblivion. We may easily fancy, that, like other boys, he
played and laughed ; built castles in the air ; roamed, with
free and joyous heart, over the fields and forests of his
neighborhood ; chided the slow-footed pace of time which
bore him onward to the joys and responsibilities of man.

6 MEMOIR OF THE

hood, and gazed with delighted eyes on the varied land-
scapes, the clouds which floated in the firmament, and the
glorious luminaries of heaven. A single incident has
been preserved from the absorbing gulf of oblivion. He
early displayed a talent for drawing ; and the first money
which he possessed was a dollar that was paid him, while
a small boy, for copying a plot of land. He went to a
race field in the neighborhood of his father — that scene of
dissipation, gambling and profanity — that disgrace to
Christianity and civilization. He carried his first-earned
and highly prized dollar with him. By the hope of gain,
he was induced to stake his money on a game of cards
played by other persons. Fortunately he lost. He has
been often heard to describe the scenes of that occasion.
He sat up all night w^here the gambling was going on —
his hard-earned dollar was gone — his body was disordered
and feverish by loss of sleep and anxiety — and in the
morning he set ofl" homeward, downcast with shame, and
tormented with a guilty conscience. This was his only
trial at gambling. Had he won, how different might have
been the result ! Allured from step to step by the
seductive hope of gain, and by a fondness for the excite-
ment of gaming, he might have been plunged, as many
promising young men are, into hopeless ruin and infamy.

Andrew has now passed his eighteenth year — his per-
son is comely, his mind has attained, considering the
disadvantages of its training, an uncommon maturity and
vigor, and he is rapidly preparing to fulfil some high des-
tiny among men. But men's characters are generally
moulded by influences beyond their control, and their
steps guided by an invisible hand. What Andrew's early
plans of life were, is uncertain ; it was, however, as a reli-
gious man, that he was to act his part ; and that we may

REV. ANDREW EROADDUS. 7

fully comprehend his situation, we must inquire into the
state of religion in the society around him.

Virginia was settled by Episcopalians from England,
who brought with them their clergy, their creed, and their
liturgy. Episcopacy was early established by law in the
colony, and a liberal provision was made for the erection
of churches and the maintenance of the clergy. Rigor-
ous laws were enacted, and strictly enforced, against all
dissenters from the establishment. For almost a century
and a half, while the colony was steadily advancing in po-
pulation and resources. Episcopacy maintained undisputed
sway. Dissent but rarely showed its head, and it was
promptly suppressed by the strong arm of the law. As
in the case of an individual, the highest seeming prosperity
is sometimes the precurser of decay and ruin, so it was
with the hierarchy. It fell into a deplorable state of apa-
thy, worldliness, and corruption. Most of the clergy
were ungodly men ; and many of them were notoriously
addicted to fox-hunting, horse-racing, gaming, and drunk,
enness. Generally men of some learning and intelligence)
they lacked an impelling motive to devote themselves,
with diligence and fidelity, to the religious instruction of
the people. Their stipends were secure, whether they
prayed or played, whether they preached or slept; and
they were concerned for nothing else. With an evangeli-
cal creed, they, for the most part, read stale essays on
morality. That a mercenary and immoral priesthood
should have deadened the sense of religious obligation
among their people, is what might have been anticipated.
The fonxLS of religion were, to a considerable extent,
maintained, but its spirit and restraints were sadly disre-
garded. It is not our purpose to inquire into the causes
of this declension ; the fact will not, we presume, be de-

8 MEMOIR OF THE

nied by aiiy intelligent advocate of Episcopacy. And it
is due to truth, and to the establishment to say, that
among the clergy there were some noble exceptions to
the above description. A few saw and deplored the pre-
vailing evils — applied themselves with ardor to feeding
their flocks — proclaimed the distinguishing truths of Chris-
tianity— enforced their teaching by examples of sobriety
and godliness — and stemmed, as best they could, the tor-
rent of error and sin which rolled over the land.

The condition of the Established Church clearly invited
dissent, and favored its success. The first permanent or-
ganization of the Baptist denomination in Virginia, may
be dated in 1754. Eor several years their progress was
slow ; but, from a period a few years anterior to the Ke-
volution, to 1788, they spread with unparalleled rapidity
over Eastern Virgmia. Preachers, and converts, and
churches, were greatly multiplied. Several causes contri-
buted to the success of the Baptist denomination.

The Baptist ministers were mostly men of fervent
piety. Their piety was not enlightened, symmetrical,
graceful, but sincere, conscientious and active. They were
generally illiterate — some of them extremely so ; their
stock of theological knowledge was deplorably meagre,
and their manner was coarse, and to persons of refinement,
offensive ; but they proclaimed the gospel — ^insisted ear-
nestly and intelligibly on the necessit}^ of repentance, the
new birth, a holy life, and growth in grace. These sub-
jects sounded strangely in the ears of their hearers, though
in perfect consonance with the articles of faith adopted by
the hierarchy in which they had been brought up. The
truth is, the preaching of these men broke the monotony
under which the people had so long slumbered, awakened
a spirit of reflection and inquiry, and elicited religious

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 9

conversation. Nor must it be supposed that all the Bap-
tist preachers of that period were ignorant men. Many of
them, possessing strong and penetrating minds, devoted
themselves with praiseworthy diligence to the study of the
Bible, and became " mighty in the scriptures ;" others,
endowed with an easy and graceful elocution, poured forth
the most impassioned and touching exhortations ; and a
few were highly respectable for their literary attainments,
and the style of their sermons.

The means employed by the friends of the Establish-
ment to arrest the progress of Baptist principles, contri-
buted greatly to their spread. The civil power was invoked
to silence the disturbers of the peace and the promoters of
schism. Baptist preachers were arrested, dragged before
magistrates, cast into prisons, carried into courts, fined, and
in various ways sadly harassed. These various processes
were frequently executed by bigoted or ungodly officers,
with most unfeeling brutality. These persecuted men
defended themselves with no other weapons than those of
truth, argument and persuasion ; endured with fortitude
the evils which they could not avert ; could rarely be
seduced into any unmanly compliances for the sake of
escaping the rigors of the law ; prayed for their persecu-
tors ; sang hymns on their way to prison ; preached to
large assemblies through the iron grates of their prison
windows ; and wearied out their oppressors by their
patience. The result was precisely what might have been
foreseen. The sympathy of the multitude was enlisted in
the cause of the weak and persecuted. Persecution, if
it has not power to crush and destroy, never fails to pro-
mote the interest which it aims to retard.

Another cause greatly increased the progress of the
Baptist denomination. The Baptists, to a man, espoused

10 MEMOIR OF THE

the cause of the Revolution. Their views of Church polity,
their opposition to the Established Church, and the disa-
bilities and the persecutions which they endured, very
naturally inclined them to take the revolutionary side. In
maintaining the independence of the colonies, they freely
periled and suffered every thing.

When Andrew Broaddus came on the active stage of
life, a great revolution had taken place, not only in the
civil, but in the religious condition of the commonwealth.
The Church Establishment had fallen with the authority of
the mother country, which sustained it. The tranquillity,
apathy, and uniformity which prevailed under Episcopal
domination, had been succeeded by a spirit of inquiry and
activity, and, unfortunately, of restiveness, scepticism and
presumption. In the region where Broaddus resided, the
Baptists were the prevailing denomination.* Still their
influence was mainly confined to the lower and middling
classes of society ; the wealthy contmuing to be partial to
the Episcopal Church, or rather, for the most part, sinking
into a total indifference on the subject of religion.

It has not been our purpose to deny to the Presbyteri-
ans, whose origin preceded that of the Baptists, or to the
Methodists, whose rise was shortly subsequent, a full par-
ticipation in the religious revolution that we have briefly
sketched — it did not enter into our plan to render an
account of their labors and influences. Nor has it been
our purpose to cast odium on Episcopacy. The evils
which we have described, Ave believe to be inherent in a

* At the time Mr. Broaddus professed religion, the Methodists
were, probably, the prevailing denomination in his neighborhood.
Now, however, the Baptists greatly preponderate ; indeed, there
can be found but very few of any other religious profession in all
the region round about. — Ed,

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 11

Church Establishment, whether its polity be Episcopal,
Presbyterian, or Congregational. We do not believe in
the Divine origin of Prelatical Episcopacy, if we may so
distinguish it, but we are far from holding it responsible
for the degeneracy and corruption of the colonial ecclesi-
astical establishment.

Of the incidents and exercises which resulted in the con-
version of Andrew Broaddus, very little is known. Of the
event in his latter years he rarely spoke, and his cotem-
poraries, who could have furnished information on the sub-
ject, have all passed away. In the vicinity of his early resi-
dence, we learn, lived and labored Elder Theodoric Noell, a
Baptist of fervent piety, endowed with a power of pathetic
exhortation, and whose memory long continued to be
fragrant in the churches which enjoyed his ministry. This
good man was the honored instrument of Andrew's con-
version. In subsequent years, we know that Mr. Broad-
dus's views on the important subject of conversion, were
remarkably clear and scriptural — free alike from the
fancies of enthusiasm, and the speculations of skepticism ;
and we are sure that his knowledge was experimental. Of
the depravit}^ of the heart, the spiritual poverty and
wretchedness of man, the demerit of sin, and the fullness,
freeness, and faithfulness of Christ, he could bear witness
from his own deeply impressed experience. The evidences
of his conversion were, for a considerable time, unsatis-
factory to his o^\^l mind. Even after he connected him-
self with a church, his mind was, for a season, harassed
w^ith doubts, and covered in darkness. No uncommon
experience this to a young convert, acquainted with the
deceitfulness of his heart, of a tender conscience, and duly
awake to the magnitude of his spiritual interests. Such
converts as confound baptism and regeneration, or mistake

12 MEMOIR OF THE

self-confidence for humble faith, may deride all doubts as
the offspring of ignorance or delusion ; but the humble,
self-distrusting, soul-prizing believer will, with the Apos-
tles, cry unto the Lord, " Increase our faith."

Mr. Broaddus was greatly chagrined and offended when
he learned that his son, Andrew, wished to comiect him-
self with a Baptist Church. The old gentleman retained
his strong partiality for the Episcopal Church; and his
aversion to the dissenting sects, especially the Baptists,
had been increased by the exertions which they had suc-
cessfully made for the overthrow of the Episcopal Es-
tablishment. He forbade his son to attend Baptist
meetings. His son, Reuben, had married, and become a
Baptist. He lived near his father's, and frequently had
night meetings in his house. Young Andrew, debarred
from attending them, would go out and listen to the sing-
ing ; and in his latter years, he was often heard to say,
that he had never listened to anytliing which sounded
more like the music of heaven. We may easily conceive
how a young and ardent mind, under strong religious ex-
citement, would be affected by the warm and animated
singing of those days, softened by distance, and rendered
more impressive by the stillness and solemnity of night.

Andrew Broaddus was baptized by his father in the
gospel, and his religious guide, Elder Noell, May the
28th, 1789. Whether the father yielded to a resolution
which his authority could not shake, or the son, deeming
it his duty to obey God rather than man, followed the
dictate of his conscience, at the risk of incurring his fa-
ther's displeasure, we have no means of learning. At his
baptism, he was united with Upper King and Queen
Church, then the only Baptist Church in the vicinity, of
which Church he was pastor at the time of his death.

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 13

We are now to contemplate him in an entirely new
sphere, as entering on the active and responsible labors of the
Christian ministry, and pursuing them, with varying suc-
cesses and discouragements, through a period of three-
score years. Of these labors a minute account cannot be
given ; nor is it necessary. The life of a Christian pastor
especially of one whose parish is a quiet country district,
can be little more than a round of sermons, and visitings,
and baptisms, and self-denying efforts for the welfare of
souls, which, however interesting at the time, and preg-
nant with momentous consequences, furnish no thrilling
details, and no marvellous achievements for biography.
The history of a single week, with slight variations, is the
history of the whole period. Besides, whatever there
may have been of variety and stirring interest in the life
of this distinguished man, has, with slight exceptions,
passed to the land of forgetfulness.

Andrew Broaddus is now eighteen years and six months
old. It is not likely that a young man, of intellect so ac-
tive and matured, and of countenance so bright and full
of promise, should be long unobserved. Nature has
marked him out as a man to play some conspicuous part
on the busy theatre of life. Shortly after his baptism, he
was called to offer exhortations at the neighborhood meet-
ings, and he obeyed the call. His first regular sermon
was preached the 24th of December, 1789, at the house
of Mrs. Lowrie, in Caroline county.

It will be perceived that he entered the Christian min-
istry with exceedingly limited preparation for the per-
formance of its responsible duties. The Baptists did not
then, as they do not now, deem a classical education, and
a regular theological training, indispensable to an entrance
into the Christian ministry. Indeed, an uneducated min-

14 MEMOIR OF THE

istry had its origin in the circumstances and necessities of
the times. The hierarchy, with its educated, but, for the
most part, ungodly and mercenary priesthood, had van-
ished ; and the question was not, whether the people
should have an educated or uneducated ministry, but
whether they should have an uneducated ministry, or
none at all. They wisely preferred the former. Some of
the earliest Baptist preachers were strongly impressed
with the importance of adopting measures for the im-
provement of the ministry ; but it would have been
strange, if many had not concluded that a ministry, called
into existence by the exigency of the times, and exerting,
under its peculiar circumstances, an extensive, mighty and
beneficial influence, was adapted to all times, and destined,
under all circumstances, to wield a similar influence. I
offer this passing apology for the low estimate, or the false
estimate, which many of our fathers, good and worthy
men, placed on what they styled human learning.

Mr. Broaddus commenced preaching the gospel without
a diploma — without a library — without theological in-
struction ; but he had w^hat was better than all these — a
deep and experimental sense of the truth, power, and pre-
ciousness of the gospel — a heart glowing with zeal in the
cause of Christ — a mind thirsting for truth, patient in
searching for it, quick in discerning it, and ready in ap-
propriating and using it, and an elocution natural, graceful
and impressive. With such advantages he began his
ministry. With these, it is not surprising that he should
have attained, among the plain people of the country, an
early and extended popularity. To this result several
causes, beside his real merit, contributed. The preachers
of that day seldom aimed at method in sermonizing. Their
discourses were mostly unpremeditated and discursive,

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 15

but earnest and impressive exhortations, delivered in so-
lemn tones, and accompanied by violent gesticulations.
The sermons of young Broaddus were methodical, clear,
chaste in style, and uttered in a natural and forcible man-
ner. His youthful appearance, too, added to the admira-
tion with which delighted auditories hung on his lips.

He was ordained to the ministry at Upper King and
Queen Meeting-House, October the 16th, 1791, by Theo-
doric Noell, and R. B. Semple — the first, his spiritual
father, and the second, destined to be, through a long life,
his intimate and devoted friend, his discreet counsellor, and
his active fellow-laborer.

We shall now endeavor to present a brief sketch of the
labors of Elder Andrew Broaddus. The field of his minis-
trations was composed mainly of the counties of Caroline,
King and Queen, and King William. These counties,
among the oldest of the state, were considerably populous.
The people, in general, were remarkable for their industry
and thrift ; for their plain, unsophisticated manners ; for their
intelligence, and, especially, their generous hospitality. In
no part of the state can there be found more of the spirit
and the manners of the old English cavaliers, than in this.
It is a pleasant country in which they live ; and since we
have known it — more than a quarter of a century ago — a
most delightful field of labor for a Christian pastor. The
people know how to appreciate an affectionate and faithful
pastor, and, by a thousand delicate attentions, to promote
his happiness, and encourage his heart. In this goodly
land Providence cast the lot of Elder Broaddus. Here he
was born, reared up, converted to God, baptized, com-
menced, prosecuted, and closed his ministry.

The s^^stem of monthly preaching, once universal, and
now far too common in Virginia, had its origin in the

16 MEMOIR OF THE

scarcity of competent ministers, and the great and press-
ing demand for preaching. The churches outnumbered
the preachers, and either they must have preaching less
frequently than every Lord's day, or be destitute of reli-
gious instruction. This system, commenced in necessity,
has been perpetuated partly by habit, partly by the poverty
or parsimony of the churches, which renders them unable
or unwilling to support pastors, and partly by the difficulty
of procuring well qualified teachers. None saw more
clearly, or deplored more deeply, the evils of the system
than Mr. Broaddus, and yet his own course was necessarily
influenced by it.

Elder Broaddus first settled m the upper end of Caro-
line County, and performed the duties of the jDastorate in
Burruss's (now Carmel) Church, and in County Line.
Successively, and for different periods, the churches Be-
thel, Salem, Upper King and Queen, Beulah, Mangohic,
Upper Zion, and others, were favored with his evangelical
and instructive mmistrations.

Though this was the principal, it was by no means
the only scene of his useful labors. The Baptist Church
in Fredericksburg seems to have been gathered and con-
stituted by the joint efforts of Elder Absalom Waller,
and Elder Andrew Broaddus, in 1804. The latter con-
tinued to preach there, we know not how long, after the
constitution of the church ; but long enough to leave be-
hind him, a most pleasing remembrance of his affection,
fidelity, and eminent abilities.

In 1821, Mr. Broaddus removed to the city of Eich-
mond, and became assistant pastor, with the Rev. John
Courtney, in the First Baptist Church. Here he remained,
notwithstanding he was greatly beloved, increasingly popu-
lar, and had before him an inviting prospect of usefulness.

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 17

only six months, owing to domestic afflictions, and pecu-
niary embarrassments. This, so far as we can learn, was
his only permanent residence beyond the limit of his native
county, and the adjoining county of King and Queen.

But his labors were far from being confined to the
churches in which he statedly ministered. He was ac-
customed to make tours, especially in the early period of
his ministry, into the surrounding counties, everywhere
attracting large congregations, and by his preaching edify-
ing the godly, and winning the admiration of all. He seve-
ral times visited the Northern Neck, and preached, with
great acceptance, to the churches served by the distin-
guished ministers of that period, Henry Toler and Lewis
Lunsford. In company with these excellent guides, he
made a preaching tour, while he was young, through
Western Virginia. What a company ! It were worth a
long trip to hear the preaching of such a triumvirate. Of
this journey almost every vestige has been obliterated.

In 1817, Elder Broaddus entertained the design of emi-
grating to the state of Kentucky, then the " Far West."
With a view of coming to a decision on the subject, he
made a tour on horseback, in company with a young re-
lative, through the central portions of the state. And
though he was pleased with the country, and, in some
measure, with the people, and though he received pressing,
invitations from the Baptists of that region to settle
among them, and was also offered the Presidency of Hop-
kinsville Academy, then in a flourishing state, he relin-
quished all thought of changing his residence.

Few ministers received more flattering offers to settle
abroad than did Elder Broaddus. If he remained in his
native Caroline, it was not because fields wide, pleasing,
and full of promise were not opened to him. He was in-

18 MEMOIR OF THE

vited to accept the pastoral charge, or was corresponded
with on the subject of accepting it, by the following
churches : — the First Church, Boston, in 1811 and 1812, to
supply the vacancy occasioned by the death of Dr. Still-
man ; the First Church, Philadelphia, in 1811, to supply
the place of Dr. Staughton ; the First Church, Baltimore,
in 1819 ; the New Market-street Church, Philadelphia, in
1819 ; the Sansom-street Church, Philadelphia, in 1824 ;
the First Church, Philadelphia, again in 1825 ; the Norfolk
Church, in 1826 ; the First Church, city of New- York, in
1832; the First Church, Eichmond, 1833, not to mention
other calls of minor importance. These invitations to
settle in cities and towns, in prominent positions, with
wealthy and flourishing churches, paying their pastors ge-
nerous salaries, he deemed it his duty to decline ; partly
because he was averse to change, and reluctant to leave
his old and tried friends, but mainly, because of an unfor-
tunate nervous sensitiveness, which rendered him timid
among strangers, and, in a great measure, disqualified him
for laboring in new and exciting circumstances.

God marked out for Elder Broaddus the sphere of his
activity, and with that sphere he was well content.
We live in an age of feverish excitement, constant res-
tiveness, and reckless innovation ; the world is in pursuit
of novelties. This pernicious spirit has spread itself in
the churches ; they must have new preachers, new doc-
trines, new modes of preaching, and new measures for
promoting religion. Ministers, too, are infected with the
same malady ; they look for new flocks, more inviting
fields of labor, and more intelligent auditors ; and if men
are not pleased with the doctrine of the cross, they are
tempted to preach on subjects novel, attractive, exciting,
and better suited to their vitiated taste. Amid these

RET. ANDREW BROADDUS. 19

ceaseless changes, and this round of excitements, it is re-
freshing to contemplate a man of eminent gifts, content to
labor for more than half a century in the sphere in which
Providence has placed him, without ambitious aspirations,
or desire of change. How instructive is such an example
of ministerial contentment and stability !

Having surveyed the field, let us now contemplate the
labors which Mr. Broaddus performed in it. Every per-
son who knows anything of the life of a country pastor,
knows that it is one of anxiety, toil, and difficulty, but of
little variety — an interminable round of traveling, visit-
ing, studying, preaching, exhorting, counseling, and per-
forming the Christian ordinances. Mr. Broaddus' labors
in his extended sphere did not differ materially from those
of his brethren in the pastorate. He was an earnest, dili-
gent, faithful pastor, watching for souls, as one who ex-
pected to give account.

He was an eminently studious man. Commencing his
ministry with a meagre stock of knowledge, he deeply felt
his deficiency, and endeavored, by intense application to
study, to supply it. His reading was not extensive, but
careful, thorough and profitable. After a book had passed
under his scrutiny, its contents were his own, with many
emendations and improvements. In most of his books he
made, with his pen or pencil, in a neat abbreviated hand,
critical notes on the margins.

Elder Broaddus, though possessing an admirable facility
for extempore preaching, rarely ventured into the pulpit
without a careful preparation for its services. His ser-
mons were usually luminously arranged, minutely studied,
and earnestly, but not vehemently delivered. He general-
ly, but not invariably, preached from notes, more or less
extended, depending on the impulse of the occasion for

20 MEMOIR OF THE

language, and, in part, for illustrations. On a few import-
ant occasions in his latter years he read his sermons ; but
though he read well, it was plain that this mode of preach-
ing did not develop his fine preaching powers, nor sustain
his high reputation as a pulpit orator. Occasionally he
would deliver his thoughts without written notes, especial-
ly when his sermons were of the expository kind ; and it
was at such times that he made his most brilliant efforts.
His custom was to preach statedly on Saturdays and Sun-
days, beside preaching funeral, and occasional sermons.
At associations, and other important meetings, he was, for
half a century, almost uivariably appointed to deliver the
principal sermon on Lord's-day ; but this honor became to
him, in his latter years, owing to the shattered condition of
his nerves, a burden rather than a pleasure.

Tlie efforts of Elder Broaddus to promote the spiritual
interests of his cherished flock were not limited to his
pulpit ministrations. It was in the domestic circle, sur-
rounded by confiding friends, and in answer to their inqui-
ries, that his rich, and seemingly inexhaustible stores of
biblical knowledge were displayed. It was difficult to ask
him a question concerning the Scriptures, which he could not
either satisfactorily answer, or show to be unanswerable.
His explanations were never hard to understand : the chil-
dren listened to them with delight, and hoarded them as in-
valuable treasures. It was in scenes like this that his people
learned to love, and venerate, and almost idolize him.

Among the early Baptist Churches of Virginia there
was a sore evil — they made little or no provision for the
support of their pastors. This error, as some others, had
its origin in the peculiarity of the times. The preachers
who laid the foundation of the Baptist denomination in
this state, entered into a fierce conflict with the clergy of

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 21

the colonial establishment. These they denounced, pro-
bably, without due discrimination and candor, as selfish
and mercenary. Entertaining unscriptural views on this
subject, or impelled by a desire to appear consistent, they
refused to receive anything for preaching the gospel. They
were good, generous and self-denying men, and accom-
plished a great work ; but, driven by one extreme into
another, they fostered, in the churches which they founded^
a contracted and penurious spirit, — a spirit afterwards
found to be barren, or fruitful only in evil. This spirit
was prevailing when Broaddus entered the ministry. For
many years he was compelled almost entirely to support
himself and his family by secular engagements. He chose
the business of school teaching, as being most in harmony
wdth his feelings and genius, and least unfriendly to his
ministry. It w^as in the school-room, doubtless, that he
laid the foundation of that accurate scholarship, and that
various knowledge, which, in his mature years, rendered
him so eminent. God is constantly educing good from
evil. Had Elder Broaddus been freed from secular
employments, his pastoral labors would have been more
abundant, perhaps more successful ; but, in all probability,
his education would have been less thorough, his influence
as a writer less extended, and his reputation less enduring.
Nor can it be doubted, though we have no direct informa-
tion on the subject, that many of the youth favored with
his instruction, were inspired with the love of learning,
and guided in the path of virtue and true glory.

The subject of this Memoir, though not professionally an
author, contributed much by his pen to enlarge the views,
confirm the fliith, and augment the efficiency of the denomi-
nation to which he belonged. He early published an octavo
volume, entitled " History of the Bible ;" — a work highly

22 MEMOIR OF THE

recommended by the leading ministers of different denomi-
nations— a work of decided merit, but not much circulated.
Many years ago he prepared and issued a Catechism, in-
tended for children, remarkable for its simplicity, and
which has lately been re-issued, in several editions, and
extensively circulated, by the American Baptist Publica-
tion Society. At the request of the Dover Association he
drew up a form of Church Discipline, scriptural in its
principles, and filled with judicious counsels, which was
printed and circulated among its churches by that body.
A few years since he prepared the Dover Selection of
Hymns, which, after a short time, w^as followed by the
Virginia Selection — a large volume, containing a greater
variety of hymns, and better adapted to the necessities of
the churches. Of these, many thousands have been circu-
lated, not only in Virginia, but in other states. Quite a
variety of circular letters, written at the request of asso-
ciations, essays, addresses, sermons, notes, controversial
articles, and letters, composed on different occasions, and
on subjects of permanent interest, most of which were
published either in periodicals or pamphlets, are published
with this Memoir.

Elder Broaddus found, amid the various and pressing
engagements of his school, his farm, and his ministry, time
for a somewhat extended, though not very frequent cor-
respondence. Among the distinguished worthies, now
reposing like himself in the tomb, who enjoyed his con-
fidence and his correspondence, we notice the names of
Doctors Baldwin, Allison, Staughton, and Mercer, and
Elders Leland, Toler, Eoper, Absalom Waller, V. M.
Mason and Luther Rice, and President Dew — to name
not Dr. Semple, his bosom friend, and a host of living

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 23

worthies. Few of all these correspondents would not
readily have subscribed the remark of his early companion
and co-laborer, Rev. A. Waller, contained in a letter bear-
ing date March, 1804 : — " Among the extensive circle of
my literary brethren, I am candid to confess, that the cor-
respondence of none affords me so much Christian consola-
tion as the letters which, once in awhile, I receive from
my dear Andrew." The letters of Mr. Broaddus were
generally written w^ith great care and taste, and were dis-
tinguished for their ease, vivacity and instructiveness.

In 1833, the Dover Association adopted a resolution,
requesting Elder Broaddus to write a Commentary on the
Scriptures ; and he was frequently importuned by breth-
ren who knew his abilities, to engage in the work. A
concise, critical, luminous Commentary on the Scriptures,
especially the New Testament, explaining what is obscure,
unfolding their latent beauties, adapted to lead persons to
a careful, interested study of the sacred text, and not en-
cumbered with interminable notes and observations on
subjects which lie on the surface, is, in our judgment, a
desideratum. To produce just such a work, Andrew
Broaddus was pre-eminently qualified. Those w^ho, in
his familiar lectures, or in his animated conversations,
were privileged to hear his clear, original, and stirring ex-
positions of Scripture, can never cease to lament that
they were not written, that they might be perpetuated.

We are now to contemplate Elder Broaddus in the
character of a polemic — a character very uncongenial with
his meek and quiet spirit. Mr. Alexander Campbell, of
Bethany, first made his appearance in Eastern Virginia, in
the autumn of 1825. His Debate on Baptism, with the
Rev. Mr. McCalla, had then recently been published, and
its circulation had prepared the brethren to extend to him

24 MEMOIR OF THE

a cordial reception. He was considered a learned, able
and fearless defender of the peculiar views of the Bap-
tists ; and his own peculiar views, of which little was
known, were lost sight of in admiration of his talents.
He attended the Dover Association, which, in that year,
was held with the Upper Essex Church, Essex county,
Virginia. Here he was introduced to Semple, Broaddus,
Kerr, and the ministers generally of that body. On
Lord's-day, he preached with Elders Kerr and Bryce.
His discourse was long, ingenious and interesting, con-
taining nothing positively offensive to the fathers in the
Association, and remarkable rather for what it denied
than what it affirmed. This sermon was followed by sev-
eral others of the same general character. His preaching
was differently received by difierent persons : by some it
was greatly admired ; by some it was disapproved, but
the most judicious stood in doubt of it ; and all seemed
desirous to become better acquainted with his views.
This desire enabled him to procure a large subscription
list for the Christian Baptist, a small monthly pamphlet,
which he edited, and published in Bethany ; and which,
after a few years, was merged into the Millennial Harbin-
ger— a larger and more respectable periodical.

From this time, the Christian Baptist became the chan-
nel of communication between Mr. Campbell and many
persons in Eastern Virginia. This periodical was con-
ducted in a bold, vaunting and bitter spirit ; but with con-
siderable ingenuity and force. Ministers, venerable for
their age, talents and piety, were treated with contempt ;
and sentiments and usages deemed sacred by thousands,
were discoursed of with revolting levity. Assuming to
be a Eeformer, Mr. Campbell devoted his energies much
more to pulling down than to building up. The religious

KEV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 25

sects were all involved in the smoke and curse of Baby-
lon. Nothing short of a radical, though universal renova-
tion, could save them from utter destruction. Everything,
or nearly everything, was wrong — in doctrine — in the
modes of teaching — in practice — in disciplme — and needed
to be immediately changed. The " ancient gospel," and
the " ancient order of things," after having been buried
for centuries beneath the superstitions and senseless rites
of the Mother of Harlots, and her numerous progeny of
Anti-Christian sects, had been recently disinterred at Be-
thany, and were thenceforward to be proclaimed for the
admiration and salvation of the world. All sects were to
be uprooted, and the Kingdom of Christ alone to prevail.
Of such sort were the proclamations of the Christian Bap-
tist. The work, indeed, contained some articles worthy
of grave consideration, more that were fairly entitled to
pass without particular notice, and many that were harsh
in spirit, reckless in speculation, equivocal or misty in
meaning, or unsound in doctrine.

The fathers of the Dover Association, godly and dis-
creet men, cherished the hope, that by paternal treatment,
and a free, full and candid interchange of views, Mr.
Campbell might be brought to harmonize cordially with
the Baptist denomination — a consummation which they
fervently desired. Their treatment of him was in har-
mony with this hope. They fraternized with him — invited
him to their pulpits, and to their houses — patronized his
paper — entered into friendly discussions with him — and
furnished articles for publication in his periodical. Of all
these fathers, none so sincerely and deeply sympathized
in these efforts as Elder Broaddus. Admiring Mj\ Camp-
bell's learning, his acumen, his various talents, he gave
him full credit for integrity and disinterestedness of pur-

26 MEMOIR OF THE

pose. Many of the evils which he pointed out, and ridi-
culed in the Christian sects, Mr. Broaddus had long seen
and deplored. Some of the reforms on which he insisted
met the cordial approbation of Mr. Broaddus. Mr. Camp-
bell accorded to him a respect and courtesy which he ren-
dered to scarcely any other human being. Under these
circumstances, so favorable to his embarkation in the Re-
formation scheme, did his intercourse commence with the
Reformer of Bethany.

Gradually, slowly, and cautiously were the peculiar
views of Mr. Campbell developed, as the light broke on
his own mind, or as he deemed his readers able to receive
them. Friendly communications from Semple and others
to the Christian Baptist, Avere commented on by the editor
with great freedom and severity. These discussions dis-
closed serious differences between the views entertained
by the prominent ministers of the Baptist denomination
and the Bethany Reformer. Elder Broaddus early be-
came a contributor to the columns of the Christian Baptist.
Never did polemic possess a more amiable, meek and
gentle spirit, or write in a manner more candid, fair and
honorable. Melancthon himself did not excel him in
kindness, courtesy and dignity. Even Mr. Campbell,
though accustomed to treat his opponents with little for-
bearance, was constrained to lespect the noble bearing
and vigorous talents of his new correspondent. Mr.
Broaddus approved what was good, censured what was
evil, and attempted to refute what was false in the so-
called Reformation. Discussion ensued, and was, for
some time, continued in a friendly style. It was apparent
that alienation had begun, and was progressing between
Mr. Campbell and the Baptist denomination. Parties
were formed in many of the churches. Proclaimers of

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 27

the " Ancient Order of Things" had arisen ; and, having
imbibed the spirit of their leader, commenced their labors
without his caution and skill.

It seemed by no means easy to learn what were Mr.
Campbell's peculiar views. Some said they were one
thing — some said they were another ; and when he was
appealed to for a decision of the contest, he usually re-
-pWed in language which seemed to be as equivocal as the
heathen oracles. Whether he intentionally veiled his
thoughts under obscure and misty terms, or was unfortu-
nate in the use of language, or whether his opponents
were unable or unwilling to understand a style of clear
and definite import, we will not attempt to decide ; one
thing is certain, his opponents were constantly charged
with misunderstanding and misrepresenting his views, and
he was as constantly charged with proclaiming opposite
sentiments, and with changing his grounds. Gradually, how-
ever, from the chaos of censures, criticisms, speculations,
expositions, reasonings, declamations, a vast heterogeneous
mass of learning and pedantry, of sense and nonsense,
which, for several years, had been finding its way into the
Christian Baptist from every corner of the land, arose the
" Ancient Gospel," or " Ancient Order of Things :" and
which was duly proclaimed, lauded, and certified by Mr.
Campbell. The " Ancient Order," according to Mr. C, is
this : Faith — baptism — remission of sins — the Holy Spirit
— a pure heart — a good conscience — a holy life. In other
words, Mr. C. was understood to teach, and did teach, if
language has any settled import, that every man should
believe the gospel, which it is as easy to do as to believe
that General Washington was the leader of the revolu-
tionary armies ; be immersed on a profession of this faith,
which immersion is equivalent in the Scripture, not secta-

28 MEMOIR OF THE

rian, sense of the terms, to regeneration, or conversion ;
that in immersion, not before, he shall receive remission
of sins ; and then, and not till then, he shall receive the
Holy Spirit ; and, as a consequence of this gift, a pure
heart and a good conscience. By this " Ancient Gospel,"
Mr. Campbell proposed to fuse the Anti-Christian sects,
purge away their dross, and form a new and brilliant
body.

Mr. Broaddus was one of the last to relinquish the
hope of reclaiming Mr. Campbell from what he deemed
the path of error. Long did he continue to fraternize
with him, and endeavor, by kind and faithful arguments,
to convince him; but the appearance of the Millennial
Harbinger Extra, in which his peculiar and objectionable
views were more fully disclosed, put an end to all his
hopes. He had been willing to tolerate many differences
of opinion on minor points, and the utmost freedom of
inquiry and discussion, and to bear with much in the spirit
and manner of Mr. Campbell, which he disapproved ; but
when the gospel scheme of a sinner's justification was set
aside, and the influence of the Holy Spirit before baptism
was denied, or treated of in an equivocal and unsatisfac-
tory manner, he felt that the time of forbearance and fra-
ternization had passed. He owed a duty to truth, to the
Baptist denomination, to the Christian world, and to him-
self, and he hesitated not to perform it.

Of all the opponents which Mr. Campbell encountered
in the early stage of his Reformation, Elder Broaddus
was decidedly the most formidable. Dr. Brantly, then
editor of the Christian Index, Philadelphia, entered warmly
into the contest, but he maintained merely a skirmish.
Rev. A. W. Clopton, of Virginia, devoted more time and
energy to the controversy; but he was wanting in the

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 29

qualifications of a polemic. His ardent feelings urged him
into indiscriminate censures ; and, instead of discussing
the main points at issue, he wasted his strength in com-
bating trivial errors. He was, however, bold, earnest and
honest, and rendered good service to the cause of truth.
Elder Semple took part in the discussion, but was entirely
out of his sphere. He possessed sound, practical sense,
but he lacked the astuteness, the research, the caution
which were requisite in a contest with one so experienced,
so adroit, so eager for victory, and so unscrupulous with
regard to the means of obtaining it, as was the Bethany
Eeformer. But in Andrew Broaddus, Mr. Campbell met
" a foeman worthy of his steel." We hesitate not to ex-
press the opinion, that on all important points, he gained
in the discussion a most decided advantage over the Re-
former ; and in this opinion, we presume, none will fail to
concur, except those who have been initiated into the mys-
teries and glories of the Reformation. In discrimination,
biblical knowledge, the power of compressing his thoughts,
clearness of style, logical force, courtesy and self-pos-
session, Mr. Broaddus has had few superiors in the pre-
sent age.

Things were now (1832) evidently drawing to a crisis.
The harmony of many of the churches in the Dover As-
sociation was destroyed ; some of them had even split
asunder. The disciples of Mr. Campbell, like all new
converts, were fired with zeal — clad in Reformation armor^._^'
forged at Bethany, and eager for battle. How far toleracr '
tion and forbearance should have been carried, it is not
easy to say ; but that the churches and the Association
had the right to rid themselves of schismatics, disturbers
of their peace, and proclaimers of pernicious error, it

30 MEMOIR OF THE

would seem that nothing but insanity could deny. This
right might be abused — might be exercised ignorantly,
rashly, or even tyrannically ; but, after all, to these bodies,
with the intelligence which God gave them, and in view
of all their responsibilities, the exercise of it was com-
mitted. The Reformers, as they styled themselves, being
in a hopeless minority, were reluctant that the matter
should be j^ressed to a crisis. They were zealous propa-
gandists, and deemed it desirable that they should have
the advantage of Baptist pulpits, and congregations, and
periodicals, and influence, for the dissemination of their
principles, and a wanton violation of their rights that it
was withdrawn from them.

The Association met this year at Four Mile Creek
Church, Henrico County. A committee was appointed to
consider and report to the body the proper cause to be
pursued in reference to the disciples of Mr. Campbell,
calling themselves Reformers. Of this committee Mr.
Broaddus was a member. A preamble and resolution,
drawn up by Elder John Kerr, were adopted, and presented
to the Association. In this document the peculiar views of
Mr. Campbell were repudiated, certain leading and troub-
lous advocates of these vie,ws were, by name, excluded
from the body, and the churches were urged to free them-
selves from the leaven of the Reformation. To this
measure, whether expedient or inexpedient, just or unjust,
Mr. Broaddus was not peculiarly responsible — he merely
concurred in it. He could not, had he been so disposed,
have prevented its adoption either in the committee or the
Association. We mention this, because he has been repre-
sented by Mr. Campbell, and his adherents, as the prime
mover of that measure. To the Rev. John Kerr, more

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 31

than to any other man, living or dead, belongs the praise
or censure of that act. The report of the committee,
after slight discussion, was adopted by a most decided vote
of the Association. This report was stigmatized by Mr.
Campbell as the " Dover Decrees ;" and all the Reformers
united in pronouncing it unjust, tyrannical and persecuting.
It caused an immediate separation of the Reformers from
the Baptist churches ; and, by separating the disputants,
a gradual diminution of the heat and violence of the
controversy.

The result of the controversy was painfully afflictive to
Elder Broaddus. His gentle, tender and forbearing nature
unfitted him for times so stormy and troublous. He con-
tinued to treat the Reformers, or Disciples, as they subse-
quently chose to distinguish themselves, with kindness and
courtesy ; and he was incapable of treating them other-
wise. This course led them to hope that he might even-
tually be brought over to the side of Reformation. They
sedulously courted him, and would fain have produced the
impression that he was more flivorable to their views than
other Baptist ministers. That he fervently desired a union
of all sincere Christians, so far as it could be effected with-
out a sacrifice of truth and a good conscience, is well
known to all his friends. That of late years he cherished
the impression that there had been some softening of the
spirit, and modification of the views of Mr. Campbell and
his adherents, which he hoped might eventually result in
their re-union with the Baptists, is also well known. But
that on all the points on which Mr. Campbell differed from
the Baptist denomination, his views continued unchanged,
and firm, to the close of life, we certainly know, and his
late writings furnish incontestable proof.

Though Mr. Broaddus attained to a very advanced age, he

o2 MEMOIR OF THE

ever kept pace with the spirit and improvement of the
times. Long after he had reached his maturity, many insti-
tutions, designed for the diffusion of Christian knowledge
and the promotion of human salvation and happiness,
sprang up. Many of the fathers looked on these with
suspicion, or were brought slowly and reluctantly to enlist
in their support. But Elder Broaddus was always young
— quick to perceive the excellence, and prompt to embark
in promoting every good enterprise. The Bible Society
received his cordial support : so far back as 1817 a beauti-
ful address, which he delivered on the political, moral and
religious effects of Bi ble Societies, before the Bible Society
of King and Queen, and King William counties, was pub-
Jished by the Society. The cause of missions, the temper-
ance reformation, schemes for promoting ministerial or
general education, in short, every feasible plan for ad-
vancing the welfare of man, found in him a warm and
eloquent advocate.

In 1832, Elder Broaddus was elected to supply the place
of the excellent and lamented Semple, as Moderator of the
Dover Association, then the largest association of Baptist
churches in the United States, and, perhaps, in the world.
This office he retained, excepting in 1839, when he was
absent, till 1841, when, at his own request, he was excused
from firther service. Many remember, and will not soon
forget, a most affectionate and feeling valedictory address
w^hich he read to the Association in 1839, anticipating from
his growing infirmities that he might not meet it again. As
a presiding officer, he displayed but little tact. He was not
ignorant of parliamentary laws, but he wanted the decision
and nerve which were requisite to enforce them. We have
rarely seen an officer of his abilities preside with so little

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 33

efficiency ; but we need not wonder — ^nature formed him for
meditation and speaking, not for action.

It is proper that we should now trace, as best we can,
with our imperfect sources of information, the results of
Elder Broaddus's long-continued, various and faithful labors
in the Redeemer's cause. His ministry was never remark-
able for its efficiency in the conversion of sinners. At
Burruss's, and at County Line, it was, perhaps, more bless-
ed in this respect than at many other places. That a con-
siderable number will, in the judgment-day, acknowledge
him as their flither in the gospel, cannot be doubted ; and
yet it must be conceded that many preachers, far less
intelligent, eloquent and impressive, and not more pious,
diligent or faithfid than he was, seemed to be more success-
ful in winning souls to Christ. If we suggest some causes
of his comparative want of success in the conversion of
sinners, we would be understood to speak with great diffi-
dence. His preaching had too little to do with the con-
sciences of his hearers. He addressed their understandings,
imaginations and affections, with inimitable effect. They
were instructed, fascinated, melted, enraptured ; they went
away from the spiritual treat pleased with the man who
had spread the rich repast, and pleased with themselves,
that they were capable of enjoying it. The lamented
Abner W. Clopton, in his ministrations, dealt much with
the conscience. When he preached, some mocked — some
were offended — some were convicted of sin — some turned
pale — and few, beside the spiritually-minded, were pleased.
The preaching of Broaddus was an intellectual entertain-
ment— a chaste and beautiful picture, or gallery of pictures,
of the noblest subjects, leaving on the mind a vivid and
pleasing impression — the preaching of Clopton wan a
solemn conference with the souls and consciences of men,
2*

34 MEMOIR OF THE

on the subjects of sin, death and judgment. The latter, du-
ring the period of his ministry, was more successful in turning
souls to Christ than the former. It must not, however,
be imagined that the preaching of Elder Broaddus was
destitute of appeals to the conscience. It did not abound
in such appeals ; but occasionally he assailed the conscience
with great point and vigor.

We may be permitted to suggest another cause of the
apparent inefficiency of Mr. Broaddus's ministry. Suc-
cess is from God, and he imparts it not always, nor in
exact proportion, to the abilities or the fidelity of his ser-
vants, but according to his wise and sovereign pleasure.
From ministers of shining gifts he may withhold useful-
ness, or hide their success from their own eyes, and from
the eyes of the world, that they may be kept humble, that
inferior ministers may not be discouraged or tempted to
envy, and that the glory of success may be ascribed, as it
is justly due, to the Lord.*

In another, and a very important department, the min-
istry of Elder Broaddus was crowned with eminent suc-
cess. He bountifully fed the flock of Christ. Thrice
favored were the believers who sat under his heavenly

* Elder Broaddus's preaching was more blessed to the conversion
of sinners than Dr. Jeter seems to suppose. It is known to the
writer of these lines, that one of the most beloved and pious Bap-
tist ministers in the state, and a number of the more intelligent and
influential lay members of the Baptist Church, in the region where
Mr. Broaddus preached, ascribe their conversion to his instrumen-
tality. He was, also, almost the sole originator and builder u]) of
Bethel, Salem, and Mangohick churches. At one time a revival
occurred in the churches to which Mr. Broaddus ministered, and con-
tinued, without intermission, for nearly three years ; no protracted
meeting being held, no extraordinary effort being made, and no one
aiding the pastor in his pulpit ministrations. — Ed.

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 35

ministry. To instruct, to edify, to encourage the timid —
to bind up the broken-hearted — to smooth the path of the
pilgrim through life's thorny wilderness, he was pre-emi-
nently fitted by the meekness and sweetness of his spirit,
the variety and depth of his own experience, and the fullness
of his scriptural knowledge. The churches under his
charge were generally in a harmonious, lively, and pros-
perous condition.

The usefulness of such a man must not be estimated
by the number of persons converted, and the number of
Christians refreshed and nourished by his ministry. Such
a man is raised up for the churches, for the community,
for the age. It was not by his special labors, but by his
indirect and general influence, that he accomplished the
greatest amount of good. His talents imparted respecta-
bility and influence to the denomination to which he be-
longed. When he commenced his ministry, the principles
of biblical interpretation were very little understood
among his brethren. It was then common for preachers
to indulge their fancies in what was called spiritualizing
the Scriptures — a process in which the dictates of common
sense were substituted by pious absurdity. His clear in-
tellect enabled him to perceive the woi'thlessness of this
jargon, and to adopt sound canons of scriptural interpre-
tation, and he lived to see these caflons almost universally
received. It would be difficult to estimate the degree in
which the Baptist denomination, especially in Eastern Vir-
ginia, is indebted to him for the soundness of their faith —
their general intelligence — their respectability — their har-
mony, and their efficiency. Many inferior lights were
kindled at his torch. His chaste and effective eloquence
wielded a moulding influence over the young and rising
ministry. False interpretations of Scripture, and errone-

36 MEMOIR OF THE

ous opinions, usually vanished before his clear and resist-
less refutations. His wise counsels, weighty admonitions,
and soft persuasions, were often effective in averting evil,
and promoting good. He stood as a bulwark for truth
and righteousness, and under its protection many weak
and timid combatants poured their destructive missiles on
the common enemy.

Great as were the influence and usefulness of Elder
Broaddus, they might have been far greater, but for cer-
tain defects of character. His nervous sensitiveness ren-
dering him distrustful of himself, and timid, frequently
disqualified him for taking, on great and stirring occasions,
the high position to which his age, character, and acknow-
ledged abilities entitled him. From our large denomina-
tional assemblies, he was usually absent, or if present,
took but little part in their discussions, and exerted but
little influence. He lacked, in practical matters, decision
of purpose, differing widely in this respect from his re-
vered friend. Elder Semple, who was prompt in deciding,
firm in purpose, and vigorous in executing. He frequently
paid great deference to the opinions of those who had
neither knowledge nor experience to entitle them to his
confidence. His modesty and kindness made him far too
tender of the feelings of others. It caused him too much
pain to give offence. -He applied salve, when he should
have used the cautery ; he uttered soft and soothing per-
suasions, when he should have thundered. Owing to this
timidity, this delicacy, this fear of offending, this reserve
in recommending unpleasant duties, the churches under
his pastorate were less liberal to the cause of Christian
missions, and other important Christian enterprises, and,
in general, less efficient in doing good than they should
have been, and, luider a pastor less afraid of givins: offence,

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 37

or wounding the feelings of the inactive and selfish, proba.
bly would have been.*

In the year 1843, Elder Broaddus received from the
trustees of the Columbian College, in the District of Co-
lumbia, the title of Doctor of Divinity. That he was
ripe for the honor, none who knew him can doubt, but he
respectfully declined it. And such was the deference
paid to his wishes, that never, in private or in public, in
conversation or writing, so far as we have observed, was
he styled Doctor Broaddus. To such a name, within the
range of his acquaintance, the title could add nothing ;
and from it, its absence could subtract nothing.

When men have distinguished themselves by their tal-
ents and public labors, a desire is very naturally felt to
become acquainted with their private history. Did those
who contributed so much to the edification and improve-
ment of the public by their instructions and their virtuous
examples, perform with fidelity the duties of domestic
life? Did they suffer temptations, discouragements, and
afflictions, like other men '? Did the principles which they
proclaimed to others, and advocated with so much ability,
support them in their conflicts and perils ? This reasonable
curiosity, so far as it may concern Elder Broaddus, we
will endeavor, to the limit which our scanty information
may permit, to gratify.

Mr. Broaddus was first married to Miss Fanny Temple, a
daughter of Col. John Temple, of Caroline, probably in
the year 1793 or 1794. By this wife he had several chil-
dren ; of whom four, a son and three daughters, survive
him. This wife died in 1804 or 1805. Many reminis-

* I incline to think that the churches here alluded to were quite
as liberal as others in Virginia, with a few exceptions. — Ed.

38 MEMOIR OF THE

cences of her are doubtless lingering among the septuage-
narians of Caroline and the adjacent counties; but the
writer of this imperfect sketch has not been able to collect
them.

Mr. Broaddus's second marriage was with Miss Lucy, a
daughter of Dr. Kobert Honeyman, a gentleman of wealth,
intelligence and professional eminence. By this marriage
he had no issue.

After the death of his second wife, Mr. Broaddus, at
what period we do not precisely know, was married to her
sister, Mrs. Jane C. Broaddus, the widow of his nephew.
This union was destined to prove a sore affliction to him.
By many, perhaps most, the marriage was deemed a
flagrant violation of the laws of God and man. Mr. Broad-
dus himself avowed, and continued most solemnly to
avow, that he saw no evil in the marriage of a mian with
the sister of his deceased wife. How far, or whether in
any degree, his mind was biased by inclination in this
decision, we need not inquire. We know that many
learned, pious and impartial men have concurred in it.
The Church of which Mr. Broaddus was a member, and
his Christian friends generally, were deeply grieved by the
occurrence. Such was the strength of the excitement against
him, that his high personal popularity and influence, and a
very ingenious and powerful argument in vindication of
his course, which he presented to the Church, could not
save him from several months' suspension from the exer-
cise of his ministerial functions. None of his brethren,
however, were led by this unfortunate occurrence to
question his piety.

The excitement in the community at large against Mr.
Broaddus on this occasion, exceeded all reasonable limits.
Nothing can be more irregular, capricious and blind, than

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 39

excited public indignation. The public had witnessed
numberless crimes of appalling magnitude — dishonesties,
cruelties, impurities and impieties, committed by men of
all classes, from the highest to the lowest — with indiffer-
ence, or faint murmurs of disapprobation ; but when Mr.
Broaddus married the sister of his deceased wife — an act,
as to the morality of which the most sharp-sighted and
pure-minded casuists are not agreed — an act which, if an
offence at all, was certainly a venial offence — this same
public awoke as from the slumber of intoxication, and, as
if to atone for the toleration of ten thousand sins, pro-
claimed that the foundations of morality were likely to be
subverted, and poured the vials of its wrath on the head of
the offender. Heaven and earth were invoked for the
punishment of his transgression. He was unsuccessfully
indicted under an obsolete law. The aid of the Legisla-
ture was implored, and that body, zealous for the conser-
vation of public morals, revived the law; and that nothing
might be wanting for the punishment of so great a criminal,
gave it ex 2^ost facto authority. But right or wrong, Mr.
Broaddus was not to be easily punished. He evaded the
penalty of this law on the plea of its unconstitutionality.
But why, we may reasonably inquire, so great an ado
about so trivial a matter ? The question is more easily
asked than answered. Public indignation, like the wind,
bloweth where it listeth, and we hear the sound thereof,
but cannot tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth.
"VVe may, however, conjecture. The Rev. Andrew Broad-
dus was a minister of acknowledged abilities, great popu-
larity, and extended influence. The Jeffersonian spirit of
skepticism had unfortunately at that time imbued the
tipper classes of society, and the professors, and especially
the advocates of an orthodox and spiritual Christianity,

40 MEMOIR OF THE

were, among these eLasses, viewed with mingled feelings of
contempt and suspieion. These half-concealed emotions only
waited a favorable opportunity to vent themselves in
active hostility. Such an opportunity was, unfortunately,
afforded by Mr. Broaddus's marriage. Whether the rancor
of sectarian bigotry, which, alas ! is confined to no sect,
had any participation in the unholy and vindictive perse-
cution of the poor man, our imperfect knowledge of the
times does not permit us to affirm.

It is due to Mr. Broaddus and the public to state, that
they finally did him justice. The excitement passed away.
His conduct was view^ed with candor and discrimination,
and, as might be supposed, with different judgments. Some
justified it; most admitted it to be indiscreet; and all,
except a few, who were too stupid to be instructed, too
obstinate to change their opinions, or too indifferent to
inquire for the facts, conceded that it furnished no evidence
of the want of moral purity or devoted piety. Many
years before his death he had, in the region where he re-
sided, and was best known, fully regained his character,
reputation and influence.

We have already intimated that this marriage proved a
thorn in the side of Mr. Broaddus. We would gladly, if
justice to his character permitted, pass over this dark and
melancholy portion of his history. The cause of virtue
cannot be subserved by the details of the deplorable case.
It is sufficient to say, that his wife proved entirely un-
worthy of his affection, and that he repudiated her, with
the universal approbation of his friends and his foes. This
occurred in the year 1822.

A letter written at this time by Elder Broaddus to his
steadfast friend, the Rev. R. B. Semple, is so interesting,
exhibits a spirit so humble, so ingenuous, and so pious,

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 41

and places his conduct in relation to his marriage, and the
repudiation of his wife, in a light so clear and satisfactory,
that we will insert it entire.

" My Friend and Brother : — I have seen your letter to my
brother, and while I express my sincere thanks for the deep
interest you take in my case, I may say, it is what I expected
from you ; and when I saw your son James, (whose friendly
regard is most cordially reciprocated,) I readily conjectured the
object of his visit to the neighborhood. It was in my heart to
write to you before, and to pour out my smothered griefs into
your bosom ; but not being certain that you had received any
authentic notice of this most deplorable event, I felt backward,
(as you may well suppose,) to anticipate that notice. But why
do I say, ' most deplorable ?' That it is so in all human calcula-
tion, there is no question ; but God, the allwise Disposer, has
seen proper to permit that so it should be ; and as a dispensa-
tion from him towards me, it must be right. You will readily
understand, that while I consider the righteousness of that hand
which dispenses the bitter cup, I do not mean to palliate the
abomination of the offence. That I deserve this visitation,
as from Grod, I feel fully conscious ; and that I need it, there can
be as Httle doubt : the very existence of the thing is a proof of
this. Ah ! would to Grod that I could make the full and proper
use of these considerations.

''This signal stroke, from the hand of Divine Providence,
wiU naturally excite an attempt to read and interpret the dis-
pensation. The designs of God, you know, are often, for a
time, wrapt in darkness ; but frequently there are some rays of
hght, by which we may discover, in part, the pointings of the
Divine hand — the object and tendency of his procedure. And
he, who is the immediate subject of the stroke, if he be not in
a state of stupidity, may probably most correctly read and
interpret — may most clearly '' hear the rod, and who hath
appointed it.' (Micah, vi., 9.) This appears to me to be striking-
ly the case in the present instance. The attachment, which has

42 MEMOIR OF THE

eventually proved the occasion of this deep affliction, was not,
I am persuaded, a sanctified one. The honor of my injured
Master, and my own spiritual prosperity, were jeopardized by
the indulgence of natural inclination; and I might, but for a
partial bhndness, have so calculated. It is unnecessary to
attempt tracing my wanderings and defects ; I thought that I had
seen, deplored, and confessed all of them; but God has seen
proper thus to add poignancy to those exercises, and thus to
make me see the folly of all human calculations, where His glory
is not the ruHng object. If ever Divine Providence opens the
way, I feel an inchnation to make myself a beacon, to warn
others against the danger of risking their spiritual interests, and
the honor of Christ. It is but an imperfect idea, that I could
give you, even of my imperfect view of the dealings of God in
this dispensation. His wisdom. His righteousness. His power,
and His goodness too, stand confessed before me ; and yet I am
obliged to resolve much into His sovereignty ; for I pretend not
to penetrate the depth of His designs.

" Many, perhaps, have erred as grievously, who have not been
so chastised ; but ought I not rather to bless His hand than to
repine ? If I am not deceived, I have learned something — yea
much, by this grievous lesson. Never before, for any length of
time, did I so heartily agree to relinquish and renounce every
thing which may not have the sanction of God ; never before,
for any length of time, have I felt as if I had as well venture
for eternity, if God should call me. But, alas ! there is, I fear,
much lacking in me yet. I will tell you, as it regards my own
particular case, the object of my prayer, and I hope to have
your prayers for the same, that God would give me patience,
submission and support ; confidence in him, and a right temper
and feeling towards others'; and that, if consistent, he would in
some way lighten the grievous burden. Grievous, indeed, it is !
The mingled emotions — I forbear to enumerate them — 0, what
a distressing compound do they make 1 You s'eem to wonder
at my cheerful enjoyment of the company of the brethren, and
my support in preaching, when I saw you last. Indeed, I won-
der too. But the wormwood and the gall were lying in my

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 43

heart ; and though in some measure kept down, were ever and
anon sthred at intervals by bitter reflection. I will not attempt
to describe to you what I have to bear ; it would be useless.
Though we beheve and preach, (very justly,) the comparative
httleness of all earthly objects, none can tell, but those who
have experienced it, what it is to have the very fountain of
earthly comfort poisoned — every stream sending forth the
grievous mixture. Considering my constitutional feehngs, I as-
cribe it to God's sustaining hand, that I have not been driven
to utter distraction — that I have been enabled at some times to
preach with an uncommon degree of light and liberty ; and es-
pecially that I sometimes have blessed His hand in the midst of
my distresses. Let me have your prayers, and, if you feel a
freedom, your advice too, in any shape or respect.
'■'■ I am, dear Brother,

" Yours, for Christ's sake,

"Andrew Broaddus.

"P. S. — You will remember, too, in prayer, the poor wretched
offenders."

Mr. Broaddus. though separated, was not legally di-
vorced from his wife. Though entitled to this redress by
the laws of God and man, such were the prejudices ex-
cited against him in the Legislature by his marriage, it was
not deemed expedient by his friends that he should petition
it for relief. For twenty years he continued to bear this
grievous, crushing burden, sustained by the warm sympa-
thy and assiduous attentions of his numerous friends, and
the consolations of religion. He was cheerful and agree-
able in select society, and to such he almost entirely con-
fined himself, and continued to preach with unabated vigor
and eloquence, and to perform all the duties of his ministry.
The affliction, according to his most earnest prayer, was
sanctified to his spTritual good ; his ambition was chas-

44 MEMOIR OF THE

tened; his affections Avere refined; and his life was ren-
dered more consistent, lovely and pious.

By this marriage Mr. Broaddus had several children. One,
Wilton H., a young man of fine capacity, died a few years
since ; and his loss was deeply felt by his aged and fond
parent. Two have survived him — a daughter, the wife of
the Rev. Howard W. Montague — and a son, bearing his
own name, who, having recently entered the ministry,
with encouraging prospects of usefulness, proved a great
comfort to his father at the close of his life. May the
mantle of the venerated parent rest on the son !

In 1843 the Rev. Mr. Broaddus married Miss Caroline
W. Boulware, of Newtown, King and Queen County. To
this lady was granted the honor and the privilege of sooth-
ing the last years of a life which had been burdened with
its full share of grief — a service w^hich she performed with
exemplary delicacy, judgment and affection. She had only
one child, now a little boy three or four years old, for whose
spiritual welfare the aged parent cherished an anxious
solicitude.

Mr. Broaddus was formed for domestic life. His refine'd
and tender feelings, and his gentle and delicate manners,
which, in a great measure, unfitted him for the conflicts of
public life, rendered him in social and domestic life the
most agreeable of men. In the family circle, by universal
consent, he was every thing which could have been desired^
As a husband, he was fOnd, attentive and confiding ; as a
father, he was tender, indulgent and careful. If he failed,
it was in the exercise of authority, for which, by his tem-
perament, he was peculiarly unfitted.

Having furnished some account of the labors and suc-
cesses of the Rev. Andrew Broaddus, it is proper that we
should now attempt to delineate him ♦as a man^ a Chris-

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 45

tian^ a preache7\ and an author. We have already antici-
pated much that might be written on these subjects, and
at present can do nothing more, than aim to finish the pic-
tures which have been commenced.

As a man, Elder Broaddus was a noble specimen^
Erect, lithe, of graceful proportions, his person was the
finest model of humanity. A sculptor could not have
desired a nobler head for imitation, nor a painter a finer
face for delineation. He invariably paid the strictest at-
tention to his personal appearance. So great was his
aversion to dust, that it was said jestingly, that he would
brush it from his boots with his white handkerchief. All
his movements were strikingly graceful. It was hardly
possible to see him draw a handkerchief from his pocket,
and wipe his face, without observing the ease and polish
of his manner. Placed among a thousand men, his ap-
pearance would have enlisted the attention, and excited
the curiosity of the spectator. Such was the casket — a
fit depository for a priceless gem.

Mr. Broaddus was unquestionably a genius. He pos-
sessed talents, which studies, and professors, and libraries,
could never have imparted to him. He was endowed by
nature with a quick perception, a clear discrimination,
a capacious understanding, an active imagination, a
high appreciation of the beautiful and grand, and a very
retentive memory. He possessed, in no ordinary degree,
the elements of a poet, a pauiter, and an orator. We
have seen how slender were his early opportunities for the
attainment of an education ; but his genius and applica-
tion supplied the place of schools, colleges and books.
He was his own instructor ; and, as he was profoundly
impressed with the importance of the office, he was care-

46 MEMOIR OF THE

fully instructed. His literary acquirements, considering
his early disadvantages, were quite surprising. Few
scholars excelled him in the critical knowledge of the
English language. He designed at one time to prepare
an English grammar — a task for which his thorough and
philosophical acquaintance with the language eminently
fitted him. He had some acquaintance with the Latin,
Greek, and French languages, though his knowledge was
not critical. His scientific attainments, though not
thorough, were extensive, and highly respectable. His
mind was richly stored with the treasures of experience,
observation and reading. His knowledge was full, ready,
and accurate. It is, indeed, surprising, that, having so
little intercourse with literary society, and no access to
large and select libraries, and possessing, comparatively,
but few books of his own, his information on all subjects,
literary, scientific and theological, should have been so ex-
tensive and thorough.

If such was Andrew Broaddus, reared amid a compa-
ratively poor, and sparsely settled country population,
what would he have been had fortune favored the early
and full development of his fine genius *? We know not.
The mind, as well as the body, is sometimes surfeited.
The means of acquiring an education are, too frequently,
converted into the means of indulgence, dissipation, and
ruin. But our full conviction is, that, with the advantages
of an early and well-directed education, and a position
favorable to the full and vigorous exercise of his mental
powers, and a proper improvement of these advantages,
and but for his constitutional timidity, he would have been
one of the greatest men of this, or any other age. But
with all his disadvantages, when shall we look on his like
again ? How rarely do we see a man, of intellect so clear,

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 47

of taste so refined, of knowledge so various, and of elo-
quence so winning !

However brilliant was his genius, and ripe his scholar-
ship, it was as a Christian that he most brightly shined.
He was a man of experimental piety. He not only in-
sisted in his ministry on the necessity of the new birth,
but in his life, he exemplified the excellence of this change.
His piety was sincere, conscientious, habitual and consist-
ent. No man who knew him intimately could doubt
that he received the Bible as a revelation from God, and
aimed to regulate his affections and conduct by its pre-
cepts. He was remarkable for the passive rather than for
the active virtues of Christianity ; he was meek rather than
courageous ; affectionate rather than faithful ; more likely
to endure martyrdom with fortitude, should it overtake
him, than to provoke it by noble daring in the cause of
truth. A man of gentler soul never lived : his manners
were almost feminine. Reproof was his strange work.
If he spoke or wrote with tartness, as he sometimes did,
he offered violence to his own feelings, in complying with
the dictates of his judgm.ent. By nothing, perhaps, was
this good man so much distinguished, as by his un-
affected love of the Scriptures. He was most empha-
tically a Bible Christian. He studied it with care and
diligence, that he might be instructed by its doctrine,
directed by its precepts, animated by its examples, com-
forted by its promises, and inspired with ardor by its
prophecies. But we need not enlarge on the many ex-
cellent traits of character which he possessed in common
with all who sincerely love our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mr. Broaddus was greatly profited by the severe, we
may say unparalleled, afflictions through which he passed.
They would have driven many, if not to distraction, at

48 MEMOIU OF THE

least to melancholy and moroseness ; but, divinely sus-
tained, he bore them with fortitude, submission and cheer-
fulness. Like pure gold, he came forth from the crucible,
refined, brightened, and reflecting more beautifully the
image of the great Refiner. It had been strange, if his
early, great and extended popularity had not kindled in
his bosom an unholy ambition ; it had been equally
strange, if the afflictions which came on him like a flood,
had not quenched that flame. Though he could not divest
himself of a morbid sensitiveness, when he preached be-
fore intelligent strangers, yet it was apparent that use-
fulness, not popularity, was the end of his labors.

No man ever admitted more readily, or felt more truly,
than he did, the sentiment of the following stanza :

" Poets are such by birth, 'tis said,
Nor can by rules of art be made :
But not by birth do Christians shine ;
They are new made by grace divine."

"A Sinner trusting for Redemption in Christ
ALONE ;" the unostentatious and significant words which
he desired to have inscribed on his tombstone, clearly in-
dicated the temper of his mind. It was the language of
his heart, his experience indicating a sincere self-renuncia-
tion, a cordial reliance on Christ for salvation, and a
deep sense of his obligations to God for all his spiritual
attainments, and all his heavenly prospects.

Let us now contemplate Elder Broaddus as a 2^J'eacker,
that we may discover, if we can, the secret of his de-
served popularity. His sermons were strictly evangelical.
Redemption by Christ, viewed in its various scriptural as-
pects, with the rich benefits it includes, and the weighty
obligations it imposes, was the theme of all his dis-

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS, 49

courses. This theme, to his richly stored and fruitful
mind, afforded an ample variety for pulpit instruction.
His doctrinal views were such as would generally be styled
moderately Calvinistic, agreeing, in the main, with those
of Andrew Fuller. His sermons, however, were remark-
ably free from theological teclmicalities. As he was a
Bible Christian, so he was a Bible preacher. Beyond all
the preachers we have ever known, he derived his sermons
from the Bible. Not that it abounded in quotations from
the Bible, or in Bible phrases ; but it was baptized in the
spirit of the Bible, radiant with the truths of the Bible, and
illustrated and adorned by incidents taken from the Bible.
He was a man of extensive reading and general informa-
tion: and yet to one who heard som3 of his best sermons,
he might seem to have read no book but the Bible, and to
have made himself a master of that. The matter of his
sermons was always good, generally rich, and sometimes
strikingly original.

Mr. Broaddus was a methodical preacher. The plan of
his sermons, with brief notes to aid his memory, was
usually written out and laid before him. His discourses
were carefully studied before he attempted to deliver them ;
but he was not restrained by his notes, or his studies, from
pursuing any appropriate tram of thought which might
arise in his mind while speaking. Indeed, he did not
hesitate to digress from his subject, and introduce any
remark which he thought might be useful to his hearers.
They were sure, however, to perceive at what point the
digression began and closed. He confined himself to no
one plan of sermonizing. Sometimes he took a text, and
grounded on it a doctrine, for the theme of his discourse.
Frequently he expounded a chapter or a paragraph in the
scriptures — and in this method he attained his highest

50 MEMOIR OF THE

excellence. His most common method, however, was that
of expounding a biief passage of scripture, containing one
or moro verses. This, after a brief explanation of the con-
text, was divided, frequently with great pertinency, into
three or four heads, more or less, and these were so discuss-
ed as to display the meaning, beauty and force of the
text. There was no confusion in his thoughts. Every
argument, illustration and thought, like a well-drilled
soldier, was ranged under its appropiiate head.

The style of Elder Broaddus's sermons was perspicuous,
chaste, simple, vigorous, and beautiful. He did not aim
at an elevated style ; but expressed his thoughts in a col-
loquial manner. Indeed, his preaching might have been,
by persons not seeing him, easily mistaken for earnest
conversation.

The preaching of this distinguished divine aboiuided in
striking illustrations. He could find some historical inci-
dent, some principle in science, some custom, some object
of common observation, to elucidate his theme ; and the
illustration never failed, under his skillful application, to
interest and instruct his hearers.

Such, imperfectly sketched, it is true, were the sermons
of Andrew Broaddus ; but how can we give any conception
of his manner of preaching ? We can no more give an
adequate idea of eloquence by description, than of light-
ning by painting. We first enjoyed the pleasure of hear-
ing him in 1823. He was then in the meridian of his
glory. We had heard his fame, and were anxious to have
an opportunity of judging whether rumor had done him
justice. We were prepared to hear an eloquent and
mighty preacher; but all our anticipations were more than
realized. We had formed no adequate conception of his
power to interest and instruct his hearers. We could but ex -

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 61

claim with the astonished Queen of Sheba, when she saw the
wisdom and glory of Solomon : " It is a true report that I
heard in mine own land, and, behold, the half was not told
me." This early impression of his abilities was sustained
by an intimate and long-continued acquaintance with him,
at a period when our judgment, being more matured, was
less likely to mislead us.

His fine person increased the effect of his discourses : it
was formed to command respect. His countenance was
radiant with intelligence, and his clear, speaking eyes
seemed to penetrate the souls of his hearers. His ser-
mons were generally delivered with great pathos — with a
holy unction. His heart was in his subject : its truth,
importance, and solemnity were deeply impressed upon it.
His manner of speaking, however, was far enough from
declamation. He commenced his sermons in the most
easy, artless, and unpretending way, inspiring no high-
wrought expectation ; but suddenly some brilliant thought,
or some melting touch, would make the hearer feel that
he was in the presence of a master. His voice, before it
was shattered by age, was clear, flexible, euphonious, under
perfect control, but never strong and commanding. His
eloquence resembled not the mountain torrent, bold, re-
sistless and majestic; but the champaign stream, gentle,
beautiful and refreshing. His gestures were easy, natural
and graceful, giving impression to all his utterances. His
chief excellence as a public speaker lay in his action. In
some of his gestures there was a significance and power
which were inimitable.

Were we required to describe the power of his oratory
by a single term, that term should he fascination. There
was, in his happy efforts, a most captivating charm. An
incident may best illustrate this remark : More than

52 MEMOIR OF THE

twenty years ago, while in the zenith of his power and
popularity, he attended a session of the Baptist General
Association, held in the town of L — . Monday morning he
preached in the Methodist Church, to a crowded audience.
Mr. D., a lawyer of distinction, on his way to the Court-
House, where the court was in session, stopped in the
street, beneath the fierce rays of a summer sun, to listen,
for a moment, to the sermon. Business urged his depar-
ture, but having heard the commencement of a paragraph,
he was intensely anxious to hear its close. Intending every
moment to break away, he became more and more chained
to the spot. Presently he heard his name called by the
sheriff at the Court-House door, and he soon heard the call
repeated ; but it was to no purpose — he was riveted to the
spot. Neither the fotigue of standing, the melting rays of
the sun, the urgency of business, nor the repeated calls of
the officer of the court, could disenchant him. He heard
the whole of the sermon, and paid unwittingly the highest
compliment to the eloquence of the preacher. We remem-
ber a similar incident : A minister, whose thoughts were
absorbed in a subject deeply affecting his happiness, heard
him preach, and at the close of the sermon was aroused
from the spell in which he had been bound, amazed that
his thoughts had been so long and so perfectly diverted.

Gi-eat as he undoubtedly was, he had some rather strik-
ing defects in his preaching. He was fastidious. He
rarely lost himself in his subject. He did not forget to
pay attention to precision, and all the graces of composi-
tion. He frequently wasted time on subordinate points,
and in preparatory remarks. An incident will best illustrate
our meaning : In his neighborhood resided an old, and
pious, but somewhat eccentric brother, known as "Father
Schools" — a man remarkable for the bluntness of his re-

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 53

marks. He was a great admirer of Mr. Broad dus's preach-
ing. On one occasion, after listening to his sermon, he
said to him, " You were so long to-day setting the table,
2iR^ fixing the plates, and knives and forks, that we got tired
waiting for the dinner." Elder Broaddus was very easily
disconcerted in preaching. If the weather was too hot or
too cold ; the pulpit too high or too low ; or if the congre-
gation was not arranged to his taste, he was greatly em-
barrassed. On a certain occasion he had an appointment
to preach at a private house. The congregation was seat-
ed, a table, with books, had been set for him, the hour
for preaching had arrived. He stepped to the table, and
carefully measuring its height, said : " Brother B., this
table is too low ; can't you lay something on it V It was
not easy, at the moment, to find something suited to the
purpose ; but after some delay a box w^as brought, and
placed on the table. Its height was again nicely measured,
and the preacher said : " Brother B., this box is too high ;
can't you find something of a medium height?" By this
time the congregation was in a titter, and Brother B.
greatly confused. It was, however, of no small import-
ance that the table should be of the proper height, for it
was vain to expect a good sermon if it was too high or
too low.

Owing to his nervous sensibility, he was peculiarly
liable, especially on great occasions, or before intelligent
strangers, to fail in preaching. His failures, however,
were generally well worth hearing. They were wanting
in vivacity, illustration and coloring, but they exhibited
the outlines of well arranged and valuable sermons. We
remember one of his failures. He was appointed, with
two other ministers, to preach at the Dover Association,
in Matthews County, on Lord's Day. The congregation

54 MEMOIR OF THE

was large, and, as usual on such occasions, seated under
an arbor ; but the weather was extremely unpropitious.
Mr. Broaddus positively refused to preach. The first ser-
mon was delivered early, and was not well heard. The
second sermon was an almost entire failure, and soon over*
Aroused by an unwillingness to permit so large and re-
spectful a congregation to disperse without instruction, Mr.
Broaddus suddenly resolved to preach. He commenced
with a long apology — a practice for which, in violation of
good taste, he was quite remarkable. He read his text —
it was a theme just suited to his talents. His exordium
was fine, and his arrangement was natural and striking.
Never did a commencement promise a richer sermon. The
congregation was all eyes and ears. The speaker gave us
some of his finest flights, but soon his pinions began to fail.
He stopped suddenly, saying : " Brethren, I find I am not
in such good preaching case as I thought I was." After a
few ineffectual struggles, he quietly resumed his seat. Of
that vast congregation, there was but one person who
enjoyed the failure — it was the unfortunate preacher who
had preceded Mr. Broaddus, and who, painfully mortified
by his own failure, found some consolation in having so
distinguished a companion in misery.

In order that our readers may have a still clearer con-
ception of the preaching of the subject of this memoir, we
will compare it with that of Semple, Rice and Staughton.
Semple was a sound, practical preacher : anxious mainly
for the results of his ministry, he was careless in his man-
ner, bungling in his style, and frequently loose in his
arrangements. Rice possessed a masculine intellect, and
sometimes preached with great power and sublimity ; but
his migratory manner of living precluded the possibility
of a careful preparation for the pulpit, and consequently

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 55

his sermons were, for the most part, dry, tame, and greatly
wantuig in variety. He possessed the unimproved, or,
perhaps, more properly, the unemployed elements of a
mighty preacher. Staughton, judging from his reputation,
for we never enjoyed the pleasure of hearing him, was fer-
vent, rapid in deliver}^, abounding in excellent matter, not
well digested nor well arranged. Now, Broaddus was, as
a preacher, less practical than Semple, less sublime than
Rice, and less impassioned than Staughton ; but he was
more methodical, more accurate, more elegant, more at-
tractive, and far more safe as an expositor of scripture,
than any one of them. They all excelled in certain
strongly developed qualities, which rendered them eminent
and acceptable preachers ; but Broaddus possessed a com.-
bination of noble qualities, a well balanced and richly fur-
nished intellect, with all the personal endowments requisite
for the most pleasing deliveiy of his sermons. We have
enjoyed frequent opportunities of hearing many of the best
preachers of most of the evangelical denominations of
this country, and occasionally some of the distinguished
ministers of Great Britain, and we can confidently say, that
in his happiest efforts, none of them equalled him in the ex-
position of the scriptures. Excelled he might have been,
and perhaps w^as, in sublimity of thought, strength of
language, and studied accuracy of method ; but in clear-
ness, aptness of illustration, spontaneous beauty, touching
pathos, and scriptural instruction, he had no superior.

Many years ago, in a sermon at the Dover Association,
he produced a thrilling effect, by comparing the departed
ministers of the Association to a band of musicians. Ford,
Noell, Lunsford, Staughton, Toler, Courtney and others,
were skillfully arranged in the band, according to their va-
rious gifts : one sounded the silver trumpet, another played

56 MEMOIR OF THE

on the viol, a third on the bassoon, and so on. They made
fine music. Their enrapturing notes were all in harmony,
and Jesus was the subject of their song ; but now their
instruments were untuned and thrown aside. Such is an
imperfect sketch of the vision which Mr. Broaddus caused
to pass vividly before the minds of his hearers. The
reminiscences awoke the sympathies of the old brethren.
They had listened to the stirring strains of these venerated
musicians of a past age, and derived an impulse and an
inspiration from them which they could never cease to
feel. Their eyes brightened, and then their faces were
suffused in tears ; and all the congregation felt m unison
with them. Had Mr. Broaddus himself been assigned a
place in the band, his appropriate instrument would have
been the flute. Others might sound the shrill notes of the
clarion, or draw with skillful hand from the violin's rich and
varied notes ; but he, with more than mortal inspiration,
from his favorite instrument, would have poured forth
tones of softest, sweetest melody. But now his instru-
ment is laid aside, and none is found, with equal skill, to
call forth its celestial notes ! But these worthies are fur-
nished in Heaven with better instruments :

" Strung and tuned for endless years,
And formed by power Divine."

With these they celebrate in " sweeter, nobler strains,"
the glories of that Redeemer whom on earth they loved,
adored and praised, and by whose grace they triumphed
over sin, death and hell.

As an author, Mr. Broaddus acquired no mean reputa-
tion. His compositions were generally penned with re-
markable accuracy and neatness ; and his publications
were always read, especially by his acquaintances and

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 57

the Baptists of Virginia, with interest and deference.
Had he devoted himself to literature, he could not have
failed to attain to enviable eminence ; but he wrote only
at intervals, as he was impelled by the solicitations of
his brethren, or by the imperative demands of the great
cause in which he was enlisted, and then amid the fre-
quent interruptions and incessant cares of his pastorate.
His sermons always suffered by publication. The body
was there, well proportioned and beautiful ; but the ani-
mating, inspiring spirit was gone.

It is not our purpose to furnish a critique on his writ-
ings. They speak for themselves. As compositions,
they are justly entitled to the praise of perspicuity, ease,
elegance, and good taste. They, abound in weighty coun-
sels, sound expositions of scripture, convincing argu-
ments employed in a worthy cause, and are imbued with
the spirit of piety. They will form an invaluable legacy
to the Church, and will be highly appreciated by those
who admired and loved him while living. In one particu-
lar, they will be found to excel. They breathe an amiable
spirit, and are remarkably free from all bitterness and
unfairness. Courtesy was an inseparable part of his
character. On the most exciting topics, and with the
most unscrupulous opponents, he was never betrayed into
a temper, or into the use of language, incompatible with
the dignity of his station and the genius of Christianity.
Were all polemics imbued with his spirit, religious con-
troversy, instead of being the fruitful source of strife,
bitterness and bigotry, would tend to develop truth, and
to secure harmony and love among the disciples of the
Lord Jesus. We may confidently commend his writings
to all Christians, and particularly to all Christian contro-
vertists, as a model of urbanity, dignity, candor and fairness.

58 MEMOIR OF THE

Elder Broaddus, though not possessing naturally a vig-
orous constitution, lived beyond the expectation of his
friends, a result for which he was indebted to his tempe-
rate habits, and great prudence. But early in the autumn
of 1848, it became apparent that his end was approach-
ing. A chronic diarrhoea was slowly, but steadily w^ast-
ing him. He had fought a good fight, and his Captain
was about to permit his armor to be unbuckled, and laid
aside. He did not,j however, immediately yield his
w^eapons. A minister of a diiferent religious denomina-
tion from that to which he belonged, having heard him
preach, for the first time, after he was enfeebled and ema-
ciated by disease, expressed to the writer his profound
admiration of his talents. , His last sermon was delivered
a few weeks before his death, m the First African Baptist
Church, Eichmond, the very house in which, more than a
quarter of a century before, he preached, as the co-pastor
of the Rev. John Courtney, to admiring throngs. His
text w^as Isaiah xxxv., 3, 4. The Rev. Henry Keeling,
long an intimate friend and enthusiastic admirer of Broad-
dus, who had the pleasure of hearing the sermon, made
the following remark : — " Probably, if a million of men
were to study that text, no one of them would have just
the same conception of it as brother Broaddus. And yet
I know his is the right one, and wonder why all men
should not have had it."

In the period of his sickness, this good man was har-
assed with despondent feelings. He did not question
the strength and permanence of the foundation, but whe-
ther he was built upon it. His temperament combmed,
with his deep sense of eternal things, to render him self-
distrustful and timid. But, as his end drew nigh, God
mercifully dispersed all his doubts and fears. If clouds

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 59

obscured his declining sun, it was that its setting might
be more radiant and beautiful.

The death of this venerable father was an appropiiate
termination of a life so pure, so faithful, so useful as his
had been. When asked, as his death struggle approached,
what was the state of his mind, " Calmly relying on
Christ,'' was his reply. On another occasion, after he had
been silently musing, he characteristically remarked :
"The angels are instructing me how to conduct myself in
glory." The last words he was heard to whisper, were,
" Happy ! happy ! happy !" He fell asleep in Christ on
the 1st day of December, 1848.

Never was a death more kindly ordered. Had he died
earlier, some of his most valued labors would have been
lost; had he lived longer, increasing weakness, weariness
and dotage, would have rendered his existence uncomfort-
able to himself and unprofitable to others. At home, in
the neighborhood in which he was born — among a people
who loved and almost idolized him — with his mind in
clear and vigorous exercise — and, above all, with his heart
trusting in Christ, buoyant with hope, and filled with gra-
titude, love and peace, he yielded his soul into the hands
of the Redeemer. Who would not die such a death ?
How far does it exceed in real sublimity, and hopeful-
ness, and joy, the death of the worldly hero, who sheds
his blood on the battle field, amid the excitement and
noise of the fierce conflict, regardless of God, and the so-
lemn verities of eternity !

The body of Elder Broaddus was buried in the yard of
Salem Meeting-house, where, for so many years, he had
fed the flock of Christ. A plain marble slab marks the
hallowed spot in which it reposes ; on which the pious
pilgrim that visits his grave, may read an inscription —

60 MEMOIR OF THE

simple, significant, and eminently descriptive of the man
whose memory it is intended to perpetuate, and whose
heartfelt need of a Saviour's mercy gave it utterance —
" A Sinner, trusting for Redemption in Christ alone."
The announcement of Mr. Broaddus's death produced in
the community, and especially among the Baptists of Virgi-
nia, a deep sensation. A great man had fallen, a wide chasm
had been opened, and strong affections had been severed.
The churches under his immediate charge passed resolu-
tions expressive of the high regard in which they held his
talents and Christian character. Measures were adopted
to give public expression to their grief. Funeral sermons
were delivered, by different ministers selected for the
purpose, in all these churches, and in several others, amid
the most unfeigned demonstrations of sorrow. The press
extensively, both religious and secular, noticed his death
in the most respectful and complimentary manner. In
truth, nothing was wanting to evince the strong hold which
he had on the confidence, admiration and love of the public.
We subjoin a few extracts, showing the estimation in
w^hich he was held by those w^ho were well qualified to
judge of his merits. The following is from the late dis-
tinguished President of William and Mary College, who
was reared up under the ministry of Mr. Broaddus, his
father's pastor :

" Rev. and Dear Sir, — Accompanying this, you wiU receive
a little package containing some books, which I thought might
not be uninteresting to you. Be pleased, sir, to accept them,
as a slight testimonial of my regard for one whose character I
have always respected and admired, and to whose pulpit dis-
courses I have always listened with great pleasure, and, I hope
I may add, profit likewise.

"Neander has great reputation among the ecclesiastical his-

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 61

torians of Germany, and I am sure you will take no little plea-
sure in examining into the labored researches of that most in-
quisitive, intellectual, deep researching people, on so important
a subject as that of Church liistory. Be pleased to present my
kindest regards to your lady, and the family with whom you
reside.

" With high respect and esteem,

'' I am. Dear Sir,

" Very truly yours,

''T. K. Dew.
" Richmond, Odoher 7, 1844."

Mr. Broaddus having furnished Dr. Chapin, the pious
and learned President of the Columbian College, a sketch
of a sermon on 1 Thess. i : 3, the Doctor wrote to him
as follows : —

" Dear Brother, G-reatly Beloved in the Lord. * * *
* You say, ' I am rather lazy, and my nervous system bad.'
But your communication does not furnish much proof of either.
I was surprised at the firmness of your hand, and the neatness
of your cliirography. Neither your letter, nor the sketch —
some of the particulars in which were considerably amphfied —
furnishes the shghtest symptom of impatience of labor. Cer-
tainly, you have great reasons for gratitude, that your health is
so good, and your nervous system so firm, in your advanced
period of life. But you have infinitely higher reasons for gra-
titude, that God has infused into your heart such a hvely rehsh
for divine truth, and has granted you those powers of mind and
of body which have enabled you to sketch such a plan of a ser-
mon, and to write it down in a style so elegant. I can easily
see that the sermon in your hands, all its particulars being am-
ply sustained by your felicitous manner of argument — of illus-
tration, and of citing examples — must have been peculiarly im-
pressive and animating. Yes, my dear brother, the mind that
can spread out one such plan, and richly fiU it up, can, if time

62 MEMOIR OF THE

permit, spread out many thousand such, and employ them as
powerful means to advance the Redeemer's kingdom. This is
not said, as you will at once admit, by way of mere compli-
ment ; to deal in these, both our age and profession forbid.
But I have said this much to awaken your gratitude, and to
animate you in fulfilling the ministry you have received of the
Lord Jesus Christ. We are all too much incUned to neglect
the powers and talents committed to our trust. The man who
can employ an eloquent tongue, or wield a powerful pen, is
bound to employ them for the good of his species, and for the
honor of his Creator. * * * *
" I am, dear Brother,

" Yours, with great respect,

'' And Christian affection,

^'S. Chapin.
" College Hill, D. C, Jan. 16, 1837."

From Mr. Broaddus's early, steadfast and most devoted
friend, we add the following letter : —

" Col. Hill, January 13, 1828.
" Dear Brother Broaddus: — Yours of the 13th ultimo reached
me not until yesterday. Though long coming, it was not the
less welcome. It is a fact, that in my present situation, sur-
rounded with strangers, (comparatively so,) the very name of
an old Virginia friend sounds or reads pleasant to me. If I may
illustrate a good thing from a bad one, I could truly represent
your friendship, as it stands in my estimation, by the case of
Achan and the golden wedge, &c. You know the ordeal
through which he passed. Well, if I were asked, among what
tribe of Christians does your most cordial friend reside ? I would
say, the Baptists, If I were further asked, in what division of
the Baptists does he dwell? I would say, among the Virginia
Baptists. And among which of the various families of Virginia
Baptists is his fellowship ? I say, the Salem family. But if all
the family were personally arranged, who would be singled out?

REV. ANDREW BROADDUS. 63

I would say, take him — the initials of whose name are the two
first letters of the alphabet, a forty years' fellow-laborer, the
man whose trials have never been surpassed, but by his patience,
and his meekness, from whose association (society) I have
drawn my richest comforts, and from whose ministrations are
derived many of my best views of gospel truth. May the Lord
kindly smooth the rough path of this my friend, and grant that
the latter end of his journey may be less rugged than some of
its previous parts ! What I have said above seemed to flow
spontaneously from my pen, and came forth almost without
* * * *

" Your affectionate,

''Rob. B. Semple."

SERMONS

iiig /nrfti tijt Wnxl nf lift.

DELIVERED BEFORE THE VIRGINIA BAPTIST EDUCATION SOCIETY,
RICHMOND, JUNE 6, 1840.

Philippians ii., 16.— Holding'^Porth the Word of Life.

In obeying the summons, brethren, which you have
issued for my services on this occasion, I must ask your
indulgence that I be not confined, in the discussion of my
subject, to a mere abstract view of the point assigned to
my attention — the importance of a more liberal education
for the rising ministry of our Churchy and the consequent
duty of giving aid toioards the furtherance of that object.
Let me hope it may suffice, that our topic should involve
that object, and give to that particular point its propor-
tionate weight and importance.

As it is a leading object in this discourse to impress
your minds with a sense of the worth of the gospel^ I can-
not, perhaps, do better, here at the outset, than to invite
you, my audience, to cast your eyes over what we may
term " the moral map of the world." Look, then, be-
loved friends, over the different regions of the extended
earth, and mark the shades of moral darkness which dis-
tinguish the countries where Heathenism holds its gloomy

68 HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE.

reign ! Take a glance, for instance, at Africa ; look over
at Hindostan — at Burmah — at China : we might add to
the prosjDect the countries where Mahomedanism is in
the ascendant ; but let these suffice ; and when you have
caught a view of the mental darkness in which they are
involved ; the tyranny under which they groan ; the ap-
palling superstition with which they are bound ; their
miserable condition in regard to civil society ; and the be-
nighted prospect which death and the future state must
present to view ; when you have taken a brief survey of
these " dark places of the earth, full of the habitations of
cruelty," — then turn your eyes on our own favored coun-
try ; (this will suffice for a specimen ;) and when you
have marked the contrast — so strong, so striking — let me
ask, to what is this difference owing, but to the gospel of
Christ and its heavenly influence 1

We might enlarge on this point, by presenting a com-
parative view of the different parts of our own country,
according as these sections have been more or less fa-
vored with the influence of the gospel ; but let it suffice
to say, that in proportion as this divine visitation, this
" day-spring from on high," has shed its hallowing influ-
ence on any people, in such degree has civilization ad-
vanced, morality gained ground, righteousness prevailed,
and the prospect of eternal happiness been opened be-
fore the dying race of Adam. Yes, dear friends, life and
death — time and eternity — seem to come forward, each
with a train of evidences in favor of the worth of divine
revelation.

Our Apostle had, obviously, a deep sense of the worth
of this heavenly gift ; and consistently might he urge
on his brethren the great importance of " holding forth
the word of life." The expression m the foregoing

HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE. 69

verse, "among whom ye shine as lights in the world,"
may be rendered, according to the marginal reading, im-
peratively, " shine ye as lights in the world ;" and then
the text (in connection with it) will stand in the same
character, " shine ye as lights in the world ; holding
forth the word of life."

I take it for granted that this expression, " the word of
life," is intended to designate the Gospel of Christ. Let us
enter into the subject, and consider.

The character of the gospel as the word of life ;

How, or in what manner it may be held forth ; — and then,

Offer some considerations pressing on us this duty.

1. In what respects may the Gospel of Christ be consi-
dered as " the word of life f

This, it must be owned, is a high character ; and de-
servedly will the gospel be found to sustain that charac-
ter, if we consider the following things :

I. The gospel is life revealing.

That the soul of man is destined to a future state of
existence, was conjectured, indeed, by the wiser among
the heathen ; but conjecture was all. The flickerings of
the lamp of reason, and some internal presentiment,
seemed to indicate it ; .but no decisive evidence — ^no clear
proof of this great point — appeared. And if the soul
should outlive the stroke of death — ^in what sto^e, who
could tell % And if there should be a state of happiness
for departed spirits — how to attain to that state, who could
tell 1 Dim conjecture all ! And, hence, the fanciful
theories of even the more refined among the heathen,
with respect to the future state, — their dreamy views of
Elysium and Tartarus : and, hence, in their mythology, the
melancholy shade that stretched over all the regions of

70 HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE.

Hades — ^^over the whole state of the dead ! The language
ascribed to the Emperor Adrian, in his dying address
to his soul, beautifidly pictures forth the dim and dubious
view of futurity to the eye of heathen philosophy.
Classic scholars have probably read this little piece in its
original Latin ;* but as most of us understand English
much better, we shall have it in that dress :

" Poor, little, pretty, fluttering thing,

Must we no longer live together ?
And dost thou plume thy trembling wing,

To take thy flight, thou know'st not whither ?
Thy jocund strain, thy pleasing folly,

Is all neglected, all forgot ;
And, pensive, wavering, melancholy,

Thou hope'st and fear'st, thou know'st not what !"t

But if the future existence of the soul, or its destination
after death, formed a problem which heathens could not
clearly solve, the resurrection of the dead w^as a point of
doctrine which they " laughed to scorn !" For advancing
this doctrine, some of the wise, philosophical Athenians
named Paul a " babbler." They " knew not the scrip-
tures, nor the power of God ;" and the resurrection of
one on w^hom death had set his seal, was a matter which,
to their view, lay beyond the field of possibilities ! Much
less did they dream of a resurrection of all who have
mingled with the earth, and of immortal vestments for
putrefaction and dust ! No ! the spirits of the dead are
gone to the melancholy, unsubstantial region of shadows,
and their bodies resolved into their kindred dust, and
covered with an impervious, a hopeless night !

# " Animula, vagula, blandula," &c.
t Wesley's paraphrase.

HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE. 71

^' Thy Hector, wrapt in everlasting sleep,
Shall neither hear thee sigh, nor see thee weep."

Pope's Homer,

Such are the views which heathenism takes — such the
prospect which unenlightened nature presents, of the future
destination of man. But open now the sacred volume, and
listen to the oracles of Heaven. "Jesus Christ hath
abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to
light through the gospel." The state of the departed is
presented to us. Hark ! " I heard a voice from Heaven,
saying unto me, write — Blessed are the dead that die in
the Lord, from henceforth : yea, saith the Spirit, that they
may rest from their labors, and their works do follow
them." The resurrection of the dead is declared : " The
hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall
hear his voice, and shall come forth." The happy dwelling-
place of the faithful is pointed out : " In my Father's
house are many mansions : I go to prepare a place for
you." We are, at present, taking a view of the bright
side of man's destination — the "life and immortality"
which the gospel brings to light ; and I add one more pas-
sage, as presenting to us a glimpse of the closing scene :
" The Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump
of God : and the dead in Christ shall rise first ; then we
which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air ; and
so shall we ever be with the Lord." And, now, the pledge
of all this blissful destination, and the confirmation of it
to the people of God, has been given in the resurrection of
Jesus Christ himself from the dead. Surely, brethren,
we may say, the gospel is life-revealing. It throws on our
sin-benighted world the beams of a living hope. It points

72 HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE.

to the bosom of God as the resting-phiee for the departing
spirit. It paints on the darli cloud of death the rainbow of
immortality, bestriding, with its mighty arch, all the
graves of the redeemed, and giving promise of a cloud-
less day of eternal glory, in the regions beyond the
tomb.

2. The gospel is life-directing. It not only points to
that immortality of which we have been speaking, but it
points out the way which leads to that state.

In vain had mere reason lighted up her lamp. In vain
had philosophy explored the paths of science, and traced
the operations of mind, and recommended the way of vir-
tue ; still " darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness
the people ;" and still they wandered on in their owai way,
and " stumbled on the dark mountains," and sunk mto the
yawning abyss of an unknown eternity. Four thousand
years had been allowed for the experiments of human
wisdom and human virtue. But " the world by wisdom
knew not God," and all its boasted virtue fell short of the
way of righteousness, and man remained in the thraldom
of guilt and sin. A little district of the earth — the land of
Judea — presented indeed a brighter spot. There, where the
chosen people of God were planted, the moon-light of the
Mosaic revelation had shed its influence, and directed many
a pilgrim from the earthly to the heavenly Canaan. But
all around was darkness still ; and even that favored people
had gradually gathered around them the clouds of human
tradition, and had almost blotted out from their own view
the light of God's revelation.

Such was the state of the world : — the heathen nations
wrapt in thick darkness, with here and there 2i jack o' lantern
of philosophy, flickering and dancing in the gloom ; the
Jews beclouded with their own vain traditions, till scarcely
a glimmering of moon and stars appeared. Such was the

HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE. 73

state of the world, with respect to the way of life, "when
the fullness of time was come" — the time when the life-
directing word was published from Heaven — ^when the way
which leads to immortality was opened up to view.

And what is that loay ? — Turn to the gospel and see it.
Learn of the great Teacher who declares, " I am the way,
and the truth, and the life."

Would you know how your load of guilt may be dis-
charged, and your persons may find acceptance 1 His atoning
sacrifice has made the way whereby God can consistently
pardon the guilty ; the way in which the righteous God
may " be just, and the justifier of him who believeth in
Jesus." O take hold of him by faith, and plead his pre-
vailmg merits and his peace-speaking blood.

Would you know the way whereby your sin-polluted
soul may be prepared for the enjoyment of heavenly bless-
edness % His Spirit's influence is the source of holiness ;
and his word is pledged that the Father will give the Holy
Spirit to them that ask him.

In a word, would you know the way which will lead you
safely to eternal felicity? — take Him for your Prophet,
Priest and King ; and take His word as your guide-book
through the journey of life. Surely, brethren and friends,
the gospel is life-directing.

" May this blest volume ever lie
Close to my heart, and near my eye ;
'Till life's last hour, my soul engage,
And be my chosen heritage."

May I not add —

3. That the gospel is life-conveying.
1 will not here enter into the metaphysical question — whe-
4

74 HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE.

ther, in regeneration, the Holy Spirit, by a naked, abstract
influence, going beforehand, prepares the soul for the re-
ception of the word ; it is sufficient to my purpose to say,
that the gospel is the great instrument of conversion and
sanctification : — "Born again," saith the Apostle Peter,
" of incorruptible seed, by the word of God, which liveth
and abideth forever." " Sanctify them through thy truth,"
saith our Lord ; " thy word is truth." The gospel is God's
great instrument for effecting the actual salvation of man-
kind ; nor have we any grounds for a theory which sepa-
rates the saving influence of the Holy Spirit from the re-
vealed will or word of God, and forms a scheme of salva-
tion for Pagans and Mahometans, who are " walking in the
imagination of their own hearts." The gospel is Heaven's
plan. It is the grand aqueduct, for conveying to our thirsty
earth the water of life. All human systems and con-
trivances are empty and vain. They are pipes which do
not reach the fountain, and therefore fail to refresh the soul
with the living water which springs from the throne of God.

I am loth to leave this part of my subject without just
hinting-^

4. That the gospel is life-sustaining.

How many, in seasons of trial and affliction, have wit-
nessed the efficacy of its heavenly inffuence ! In the con-
flict of temptation, they have been strengthened unto
victory. Under the pressure of life's ills — the loss of
property, of friends, of health, — they have been borne up
with resignation. And in the final struggle — in the last
lingerings of life, they have been sustained and cheered, —
ay, and enabled, sometimes, to rejoice and to triumph in
the arms of death. These things, dear friends, are not
fictions.

HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE. 75

Well ! we have taken a scanty and an imperfect view
of the character of the gospel, as " the word of life." It
\^ life-revealing — life-directing — life-conveying — life-sustain-
ing. Let us consider —

II. How, or in what manner, the word of life may be
held forth?

" Holding forth the word of life." The expression
seems to be the continuing, or the carrying out, of a figure
in the foregoing verse, where the Apostle represents that
the members of the Christian congregation should " shine
as lights in the world : holding forth," he adds, in the text,
" the word of life." " In the midst of a crooked and per-
verse nation, shine ye, as lights in the world, holding forth
the word of life." Now, you shine by reflecting from your
persons the light of that lamp, of divine truth, which you
carry with you : " Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a
light unto my path." And you are not only to take it
along for yourself, but to hold it forth for others : " Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven."

This, then, is the idea : that the word of life, in the
character of a lamp, is to be held forth ; that " we are not
only to hold it fast, as Mr. Henry says, for ourselves,
but to hold it forth for others." What a heavenly lamp is
the word of life ! It shines on the darkness of the under-
standing, to instruct us ; it shines on the darkness of
affliction, to console us ; it shines on the darkness of death,
to sustain us.

" This lamp, through aU the tedious night

Of life, shall guide our way,
'Till we behold the clearer light

Of everlasting day."

76 HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE.

But you are inquiring, I hope, and waiting to hear, how
the Avord of life is or ought to be held forth. I answer,
gei^rally^ in every way in which it may be practicable and
consistent to do it. But more particularly —

1 . It implies a profession of the religion of Christ. Every
believer in Jesus Christ ought to make an open profession of
his name and religion. " Men do not light a candle and put
it under a bushel, but on a candlestick ; and it giveth light
unto all that are in the house." I marvel, that there should
be found, in the circles of Christian society, persons who
privately appear to be on the Lord's side, — to have their
minds imbued with the principles of piety and love to the
cause of Christ ; w^ho for months — nay, perhaps, for years,
have been hovering about the Church, and are yet linger-
ing on the out-skirts and borders of Zion ! Dear friends,
there must be something w^rong. How is it 1 Has Jesus
Christ not made the way of acceptance sufficiently plain 1 .
Or is there not a criminal delay in you, to settle this point,
and avow yourselves his followers ? Come ! why tarry ?
Baptism will not extinguish this lamp. Come ! light it
up, on the margin of the baptismal font, and then, come
forth and " trim the golden flame."

2. It is " holding forth the word of life," when the con-
versation and conduct correspond with the profession which
we have made ; when the practical course — the living ex-
ample, manifests the influence of the word of life over our
hearts. This is speaking most efl'ectually: its voice is
more powerful than the eloquence of words. This indeed
is letting our light shine before men ; not the mere glitter
of a verbal profession, but the burning lamp of solid, sub-
stantial religion.

3. In reading the sacred word in your families, and to
those who cannot read it for themselves ; — in the Sunday-

HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE. 77

school, and in the Bible-class ; — in all these exercises it
may fitly be said, that you are " holding forth the word of
life." And in saying something on behalf of the cause of
religion, as opportunity may occur, and ability may be
given, you will be contributing towards a performance of
this holy duty. But many of you, perhaps, may be ready
to plead, that you can do little or nothing in this way.
You have no talent for imparting religious instruction, an^
for pressing these great truths on others ; but you are
willing to do what you can, and you are desirous of extend-
ing, in any and in every way, the sphere of your operations,
for advancing the progress of the good cause. Well,
then, you are peculiarly interested in our next item ; and
I add,

4. That there is yet a way of " holding forth the word
of life" more extensively, of doing your part towards
giving to it a wider range, than otherwise, by your own per-
sonal operations, you might be able to do. I am sure you
will here all anticipate me. You will think of giving the
Bible to the destitute, — particularly, of giving it, faithfully
translated, to the heathen. You will think of having the
written record attended by the voice of the preacher, —
" holding forth," in living strains, " the word of life,"
whether in our own country, or in distant regions of the
earth — all, appropriate to the point here presented to
view. And you can aid in promoting these desirable ob-
jects. Oh ! how it ought to gladden our hearts, to think
that we can bear a part in so blessed a work ! Yes, you
can aid by your ready support of the cause, — by your
prayers and your offerings.

You pray, brethren, I trust you 'do, as the saints of old
have prayed, — " That thy way may be known upon earth,
thy saving health among all nations." But how 1 Not by

78 HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE.

sending angels to proclaim the gospel to them ; not by
miraculously sendhig Bibles among them, but by the in-
strumentaliUj of men : And we must be ready to render
our aid, in effecting this object. God may, indeed, for
aught we know, yet resume his miraculous operations ;
and all our efforts and labors at present, like the ministry
of John the Baptist, may he but an introduction to a glori-
ous display of miraculous power. Still, however, should
this be the case, there will still be a demand for human
instrumentality, and a call upon us still to be " holding
forth the word of life."

But, brethren, while you are thinking about the procla-
mation of the gospel, at home and abroad, and about the
blessed result of its success, there is a point, in connection
with this matter, which forms a prominent object on this
occasion, and which it is high time I should bring to your
notice. In the mental prospect which you have called up,
you have introduced preachers, ready formed and fitted for
the work. They present, no doubt, a goodly appearance ',
for, of course, I presume they are furnished with the re-
quisite qualifications ; not only piety of soul, and zeal for
the glory of God and the salvation of man, but an
acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures, those weapons of
the heavenly warfare ; and a knowledge of human language,
that they may know how to wield their weapons aright ;
and a knowledge of matters and things connected with
Bible facts, that they may be able to illustrate their sub-
jects ; and, in a word, possessed of minds improved by
study, and capable of defending the truths which they
advance. Ah ! brethren, you have painted these pictures
in your imagination, but where are the originals % I fear,
indeed, they are " like angel visits, few and far between !"
Borne there maybe; and some, I trust, there are. But

HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE. 79

where is the svfply of preachers possessed of these quali-
fications % Where, O where, the supply for our churches
and the world %

And shall we then despair ? Heaven forbid ! Shall our
politicians cheer one another with the watch-word, " Never
despair of the Eepublic?" and shall we despair of the
cause of God — of the Church of Christ ? No ! — while
the King lives, never! Long may our Republic stand
and prosper ! — and every heart, I trust, responds,
"Amen !" Yet, let me say, when kingdoms, and empires,
and republics, and all earthly governments, shall sink in
one undistinguished mass of ruin, the Church of Christ
shall rise, and triumph, and shine, " long as eternal ages
roll."

But, to the point before us ; whence shall come these
preachers, which are so much needed 1 Shall we manu-
facture them by human hands and in human institutions ?
By no means ! Be it far from me to drop a hint in fxvor
of the idea of making, that is, of originating a preacher.
To the Head of the Church, the King in Zion, we are
doubtless indebted, as the prime agent in this matter.

The renewing and sanctifying influences of the Holy
Spirit, the proper impressions and motives prompting to
the work, the communications of the Divine Teacher,
along with the natural capacity to receive and to impart
instruction ; — these, doubtless, constitute the great funda-
mental qualifications for the gospel ministry. But shall
we be content with the foundation without the superstruc-
ture 1 As well might it be argued, because Christ is the
foundation of our trust for eternal happiness, that there-
fore no personal holiness, no practical religion, is neces-
sary to our character. We repudiate antinomianism in
the one case; — let us reject it in the other, ^

80 HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE.

It is conceded, however, on all hands, that education, to
some extent^ is a necessary qualification for the ministry.
No one pretends that we are to be taught the knowledge
of reading by divine inspiration ; but a very scanty por-
tion of learning is considered, by some good people, as
being sufficient for the preacher of the gospel ; and in sup-
port of this opinion, we are referred to the fact, that, in
many instances, the labors of men of small attainments
in learning, have been crowned with great success. The
fact is readily admitted, and in that fact we rejoice. In
many instances, under certain circumstances, and to a con-
siderable extent, God has signally owned the labors of
his servants of this description, and thus " has given tes-
timony to the word of his grace," in the hands of un-
lettered men. No legitimate argument, however, can be
thence deduced, against the great benefit and expediency
of a more extended education. In many instances, the
admonitions and counsels of plain, simple-hearted, private
Christians, have been blessed to thv^ conversion of sin-
ners ; yet no one thence infers, that the preaching of the
gospel is not requisite, as the proper and more effectual
instrument in the work of salvation. Men ivlio have been
most eminently useful^ have generally been men of learning.
Testimonies to the truth of this position might be brought
forward in abundance, from the days of the Reformation
to the present time; but I deem it unnecessary ; and
" time would fail me," even to enumerate the names of
those witnesses which, from authentic sources of informa-
tion, might be collected for this purpose : A catalogue of
" burning and shining lights ;" — some of them men of
eminent attainments in learning ; and most of them pos-
sessed, by some means, of liberally cultivated minds. In
the meantime, let me take occasion to say, that in advo-

HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE. 81

eating the improvement of the ministry by education, we
have no wish — fur be the thought from us ! — to check or
discourage the progress of those gifted brethren, who may
never have had the opportunity, or even the capacity, for
those acquirements which we consider so desirable.
" God speed the plough" of the gospel ! — whatever hands
may hold it ; if they can only assist in cultivating the
soil.

But admitting the advantage of education in the min-
istry, the plea is sometimes entered against any sys-
tematic course, for the purpose of facilitating and advanc-
ing this object. The preacher must achieve everything
by his own unaided efforts : no Theological Institution ; —
no Seminary, even, for the regular education of young
ministers. And why not 1 If the acquisition of know-
ledge be desirable, why shall it not be proper and expe-
dient that the preacher be aided in its attainment '? Is it
because such an institution may be abused 1 So may any
of the advantages and blessings with which we may be
favored ; yet we hope, dear friends, you will not here for-
get the old adage — that from the jDossible abuse of a
good thmg, we are not to argue against its use. But,
" the Apostles," it is said, " never went through a regular
course of instruction for the ministry." Were they not
three years and a half under the verbal instruction of the
Master ? — and learned they not languages on the day of
Pentecost '? Well, brethren, when the forked tongues of
flame shall again descend on the heads of our ministers,
we may cease to insist on studying languages in a Semi-
nary.

On the subject of ministerial education, and in support
of the argument for the means of a regular course of in-
struction, allow me to present you with a quotation from
4*

82 HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE.

an able and eloquent advocate of this cause. " Who
shall teach our ministers in these useful branches of
knowledge 1 Shall they be their own instructors, or shall
their brethren of greater age, experience and knowledge,
be allowed to aid and guide their efforts'? When shall
they study ^ In the scattered and brief remnants of
time which they shall be able to save, or to steal from
other pursuits ; or shall they, by the kindness of the
churches, be enabled to pursue their studies in retirement
and at leisure ? Shall they be compelled by their breth-
ren to gather their education whilst they discharge their
ministry; or will they be encouraged in the years of
youth to prepare for the active toils of maturer life?
Shall they be coolly exhorted to buy, to beg, or to bor-
row, as they best can, the books they may need, where
they may first fmd them ; or shall they be invited to use
the well-stored library, aided by the counsel and super-
vision of the faithful teacher "? Shall their instructors be
competent or incompetent 1 Shall they select for them-
selves, as their models of mmisterial character, the men
whom they may first meet, or easiest reach ; or will the
Church point them to men of approved piety, wisdom and
knowledge, as their patterns and tutors f* I forbear to
enlarge the quotation ; — who can escape from appeals such
as these'?

We are sometimes remmded of self-t^ght men ; and,
on this ground, a plea has been advanced against the ne-
cessity of any regular course of education. Tliere are,
indeed, instances of men in the ministry, (as well as in
other departments,) whose genius has broke forth through
all discouragements, and their thirst for knowledge has
overcome all difficulties. But men of this description,

* Williams's Address.

HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE. 83

be it observed, are generally found to be in favor of
providing for a regular course of instruction. " Their own
struggles and sacrifices, in the attainment of knowledge,"
says the writer just now quoted, " have taught them its
value, and made them desirous of its diffusion. Among
them, he adds, stands high and prominent the name of
Fuller. But Andrew Fuller, though his own powers
had been slowly developed in solitude and neglect, was
the friend of ministerial education."

Does the question now recur — whence shall come a
supply of these preachers 1 I answer, two things appear
to be requisite to the attainment of this object : — ^prayer
to Him whose province it is to " thrust forth laborers
into the harvest ;" and then, the aid w^hich you may contri-
bute towards qualifying these laborers for the work ; and
(I may add) towards sustaining them when they have en-
tered into their labors. They have bodies as well as
spirits, and must have bodily as well as sinritual support.
If, then, you have no gift for preaching, you can help those
who have ; if you cannot enlighten the world in the capa-
city of preachers, you can trim the lamps of others ; and
thus give aid in "holding forth the word of life" in the
ministration of the gospel.

After w^iat has now been said, but little, I trust, need
be added, under the concluding proposition,

III. To press the expediency and the duty of what is
here ehjoined. I have, in some degree, anticipated myself
in this part of my task ; nor do I regret this fact, as it seems
to be time we should be drawing towards a close.

You will remark, brethren and friends, that tliis in-
junction has regard not so much to ourselves as to others.
To quote again Mr. Henry's remark, " We are to hold/as^
the w^ord of life for ourselves, and we are to hold it forth

84 HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE.

for Others,'''' In taking a view of man in the difTerent
capacities of life, we must not overlook the social relation.
That he stands in another relation towards God, in his
own individual capacity, is readily granted ; and that oc-
casional solitude may be proper and profitable, is as freely
admitted ; but neither of these considerations goes to con-
travene the position w^e have taken, and which, indeed, it
is presumed, will not be disputed. If, then, we are con-
stituted social creatures, it is for the purpose of rendering
mutual aid — of reciprocating favors and benefits. The
idea of society involves this object; and, in regard to
earthly concerns, it is not denied. But with respect to
religion, the case, in the view of some persons, is entirely
altered. " That is God''s work, and he will perform it,
and he will have all the glory." So say w^e. It is God's
work, but he will perform it, in general, by human in-
strumentality. Come ! will you bear a part as the instru-
ments in that work 1 And he will have all the glory ; but
it will be by performing it through the w^eakness of hu-
man means. Come ! will you contribute to glorify him
in this way % Be not afraid of intrusion. He invites you
to " come up to the help of the Lord — to the help of the
Lord against the mighty ;" and he intends to put honor on
his people as the instruments^ while, as the great Agent,
he reserves to himself all the glory.

The truth is, that God has so constituted the economy,
both of nature and of grace, that we may be mutual
helpers in the one case, as w^ell as in the other. Else,
whence those injunctions and admonitions in the Bible to
this effect? — injunctions and admonitions too numerous to
be here particularized. And whence, indeed, those kind
Christian offices, in bestowing their counsels, their admo-
nitions, and their prayers, w^hich some of those good peo-

HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE. 85

pie themselves perform, who revolt at the idea of helping
the Almighty ? — whence, but from a sort of spiritual in-
stinct, by which (to their credit be it spoken) their
hearts are influenced, in opposition to their erroneous
creed. On this point I will just add one remark. When
God sees it requisite, he will perform a miracle. But
mark this, and mark it well ! God will never make a
draft on the treasury of miraculous power, for the purpose
of indulging persons in ignorance, in idleness, or in the
love of worldly gain.

There remains a consideration, calculated to encourage
us in " holding forth the word of life," which I beg leave
to present to your notice, before I close this discourse.
When an earthly portion is divided amongst a number of
persons, the shares become lessened in proportion to the
number of shares. It is not so in this case. The diffu-
sion of the word of life — the participation of numbers in
the heavenly blessing, does not diminish the share of any
individual. Here, indeed, there is no division, but each
has all. Does not the sun in the Heavens pour his splen-
dors, and shed his genial warmth on millions and millions,
while each individual enjoys the advantage of a whole sun 1
" Does not diminish V — Nay, Christians, I appeal to you —
does it not increase the enjoyment? Surely, surely
every heart that beats with the pulsations of Christian
affection, must feel a desire that thousands^ that millions,
that ALL, might share in the blessings of redeeming
mercy, where the portion of none will be diminished,
and where Christian sympathy will increase the enjoy-
ment!

And shall I now avail myself of this opportunity.
Christian friends, on your behalf to call upon these wan-

86 HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE.

derers to come and partake 1 — O, that we could prevail on
them !

'' Come, 0 my guilty brethren, come,

Groaning beneath your load of sin ;
His wounded hands shall make you room,

His bleeding heart shall take you in :
He calls you all, invites you home —

Come, 0 my guilty brethren, come."

And to you, Christians, I address the exhortation of the
Apostle : " Do all things without murmurings and disput-
ings ; that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of
God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and per-
verse nation ; among whom shine ye as lights in the
world ; holding forth the word of life." Let your hearts
be cheered with its holy influence, and your hands be
ready to give aid in sustaming it ; and be encouraged with
the promise and the prospect of that day, when God
shall cause it to shine forth clearly. By the light of this
blessed luminary, the deep and death-like shades of hea-
then idolatry are to be dispersed, and the blood-tinged
clouds of Mahometan bigotry to be dissolved and scat-
tered ; ay, and by the brightness of this light is the
gloom of Popish superstition to be broken, and that dark
shadow on the Christian name to be forever chased away.
The downfall of these horrid systems will probably be
nearly simultaneous ; and, ere long, we may hope the
world will hear the mighty crash ! " Soon," (to borrow
the words of an eloquent writer, and with which I con-
clude,) " soon shall the sound already whispered by the
still small voice of prophecy, be caught by the saints, and
martyrs, and elders, before the throne ; they shall shout
aloud, and the song shall be heard ' as the voice of many

HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE. 87

waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings ;' and
seraph shall answer to seraph, and harp to harp shall ex-
tend the tidings, until the whole universe of Heaven shall
resound with the exulting lay, ' Babylon is fallen — is
fallen ! — ^hallelujah ! for the Lord God omnipotent reign-
eth!'"

Now, " blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his
glorious name forever ; and let the whole earth be filled
with his glory. Amen! and Amen!" Ps. Ixxii., 18, 19.

THE SUBJECT OF THE GOSPEL MINISTRY.

DELIVEEED BEFORE THE DOVER ASSOCIATIONj OCTOBER, 1841.

"But we preacli Christ crucified: unto the Je-ws a stumTjling-
■block, and unto the Greeks, foolishness ; "but unto them, who
are called, hoth Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and
the wisdom of God." — 1 Cor, i. 23, 24.

From the manner in wliieh the text is introduced, it is
obviously intended to stand in opposition to something
which had previously been mentioned : " But we preach
Christ crucified," &;c. That you may have a view of its
connection — a just idea of the relation which it bears to the
context — permit me to direct your attention to a few verses
preceding the text.

" For the preaching of the Cross," says the apostle, ver.
18, " is to them that perish, foolishness ; but to us who
are saved, it is the power of God." In the esteem of these
unhappy opposers, the preaching of the Cross was foolish-
ness. Well ! and what remedy had the wisdom of man
devised for the wide-spread moral disease of the world ? —
What effectual means for opposing the reign of sin and

CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 89

guilt ? Time — am2^le time had been allowed for the trial.
Philosophy had brought to bear all its stores of knowledge,
and eloquence had exhausted its powers: — ^all in vain!
Sin continued its triumphant career, and guilt still hung,
as an impervious cloud, over the fallen race.

Such was the state of things ; while the message of sal-
vation was despised as " foolishness !" But God had de-
termined that the folly of these vain boasters should be
exposed — and exposed, too, by the very object which they
despised. " Tor it is written," (ver. 19 — a quotation from
Isaiah,) " I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring
to nothing the understanding of the prudent." And then,
inspired with holy triumph, the apostle exclaims, ver. 20,
" Where is the wise 1 Where is the scribe ? Where is
the disputer of this world f Let them come forward and
behold ! " Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this
world V Yes ! — eclipsed all these glow-worms with the
sun-light of heavenly truth. Come and see what God has
wrought, by the very means which you have contemned !
" For (ver. 21) after that in the wisdom of God, the world
by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolish-
ness of preaching to save them that believe." " For the
Jews" (he adds, ver. 22) " require a sign, and the Greeks
seek after wisdom." And do we gratify these vain cavil-
lers ? No ! The Jews have had ample miraculous testi-
mony ; and the wisdom of the Gi'ceks has nothing to do
with the wisdom of the gospel. No : we make no com-
promise with these captious objectors. With unde\dating
pace we pursue our course. The Jews require a sign
adapted to their views of worldly power, and the Greeks
seek after new theories in philosophy, in accordance with
their views of ivisdom ; " but we preach Christ crucified :
unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks,

90 CHRIST CRUCIFIED,

foolishness ; but unto them who are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
Let us, in a brief discussion of the passage before us,
consider,

I. The great theme or subject of the gospel ministry —
" Christ crucified."

What is implied in this expression ? Not merely an ex-
hibition of the fact of his crucifixion, but especially the
great end or object — Christ crucified, as the basis of the
glorious structure of salvation : He, the soul or spirit —
the inspiring principle of our ministrations, his cross the
golden key, which " opens the kingdom of heaven to all
believers."

But more particularly : "We preach Christ crucified," as
The only foundation of a sinner's trust ; —
The effectual instrument of a sinner's conversion ; —
The informing principle of divine institutions ; — and
The most efficient motive to religious action.
Review, with me, each of these points.
1. Christ crucified is the only foundation of a sinner's
trust.

To what else, brethren, shall we trust, or can we trust 1
Shall we trust in the world? What ! creatures destined
for eternity, and capable of immortal blessedness, take their
portion in tliis fleetmg life — this perishing world ! .0 fools !
fools ! to think of laying up treasures in barns and store-
houses, for the happiness of the soul of man ! Do I use
too harsh a term 1 Think of the fearful case of him, the
rich man, " whose ground brought forth plentifully," who
flattered himself with the prospect of being presently able
to say to his soul : " Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for
many years : take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry."*
* Luke xii. 16, 21.

THE SUBJECT OF THE GOSPEL MINISTRY. 91

Hark ! that voice ! like a thunder-clap in a clear sky :
" Fool ! this night thy soul shall be required of thee ; then
whose shall those things be which thou hast provided V
O fools ! fools ! to think of drowning the consciousness of
guilt in the world's pleasures or the world's business !
Presently shall the blast of death drive the world before it
as a vanishing smoke ; and ere long shall the funeral fire of
nature consume it in one general blaze. Surely, dear
friends, the world is not a proper ground of trust for the
soul of man ; surely, it is not the staff on which the traveler
to eternity should lean for support.

" Lean not on earth : 'twill pierce thee to the heart :

A broken reed at best, but oft a spear,

On whose sharp point peace bleeds and hope expires."

Shall we trust to our legal righteousness — our broken
efforts to comply with the requisitions of the law ? Hear
ye not what the law saith ? " The man that doeth these
things shall live by them :"* but " Cursed is every one
that continueth not in all things which are written in the
book of the law, to do them."f We have all trans-
gressed ; we have broken the law again and again, and so
have incurred the penalty ; and to seek for justification by
that violated law, is vain and absurd. The convicted
criminal in a human court, finds no protection from the law
which he has transgressed. If pardon should reach him, it
must come from another source. Nor can we, dear friends,
fi'om the law of God which we have transgressed, obtain
deliverance from guilt and condemnation. Deliverance
must come from another source ; for, " by the deeds of the
law," heaven has proclaimed, " shall no flesh be justified
in his sight."J

* Rom. X. 5. t Gal. iii. 10. t Rom. iii. 20.

92 CHRIST CRUCIFIED,

Shall we then trust in the mercy of God? Yes ! O yes \
This is the resource to which we must turn — this the foun-
tain whence the stream of pardon must flow. But, then,
be it observed, my dying fellow-sinners, lue must so exjyect
that mercy as God hath appointed ; and that is, through the
crucified One. Let us not too hastily dismiss this point ;
it is proper that it should be established on a solid basis.
Our position is this : To become the subjects of the par-
doning mercy of God, we must trust in the crucified
Saviour ; for, while that mercy is the source of our salva-
tion, Jesus Christ is the medium through whom it operates
in effecting that object. Now, we must remember, that
God is just as well as merciful — holy as well as gracious :
and we have no ground, from the dictates of Scripture or
reason, for believing that he will exercise his mercy at the
expense of his justice, or suffer his holiness to be implicated
in the exhibition of his grace. If, therefore, in wonderful
goodness and condescension, he- shall determine to extend
his hand for the recovery of sinful man, it will be done in
a way consistent with the righteousness of that law which
has been violated — with the honor of that throne which
has been insulted. And this is precisely what God, accord-
ing to the scripture doctrine of redemption, has actually
done in the case of fallen man. " For he hath made him
to be sin for us — [or a sin-offering] — who knew no sin,
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."*
It is thus that " we have redemption in Christ Jesus ;"
" whom God," the apostle tells us, " hath sent forth to be
a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his
righteousness for the remission of sins," &c. And he
adds : " To declare, I say, at this time, his righteousness"

* 2 Cor. V. 21.

THE SUBJECT OF THE GOSPEL MINISTRY. 93

— [that is, God's righteous method of justifying sinners,]
— " that he might be just, and the justifier- of him who
believeth in Jesus,'"*

Here we see how the way is opened for a consistent
exhibition of the mercy and grace of God in the salvation
of fallen man. In the great sin-offering, the atoning sacri-
fice, the penalty of the divine law, is sustained ; the honor
of the divine government vindicated; and the hand of
redeeming power can now be extended for the recovery of
the sinner. God can be "just, and the justifier of him who
believeth in Jesus." " Deliver him from going down to the
pit : I have found a ransom."f Well, then, may we trust
in him for redeeming mercy ; and especially while we hear
the declaration of Simon Peter to his countrymen, that
" there is no salvation in any other ;" and " none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must
be saved."J; And are there to be found, w^earing the
Christian name, those who discard the atoning efficacy of
the blood of Jesus 1 Ay, rational Christians ! Well !
let them boast ; but give me the faith and the trust of the
fishermen of Galilee^ for, indeed, fearful am I, that he who
has any other trust has never known himself as a sinner.
In perfect harmony with this point, it follows,

2. That the doctrine of Christ crucified is the effectual
instrument of a sinner's conversion.

Paul was sent to the Gentiles " to turn [or convert] them
from darkness to light ;" and we see, from all his epistles,
that the cross of Christ had been prominently held forth,
as the great instrument in effecting this work. To the
Corinthians he writes, " I determmed not to know any
thing among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified."§
To the Galatians, that " Jesus Christ had been evidently

''Rom. iii. 24, 26. f Job. xxxiii. 24. t Acts iv. 12. () 1 Cor. il. 2.

94 CHRIST CRUCIFIED,

set forth, cmcified among them."* And of himself he says :
" God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, whereby the world is crucified unto me,
and I unto the world."f These testimonies ought surely to
suffice ; and the fact will be found to accord with these
testimonies. Godly sorrow, brokenness of heart, can be
induced only by a view of this melting, heart-touching ob-
ject, the cross of Christ. Terror may awaken^ it cannot
convert. Place, in dread array, before the mind's eye,
" the terrors of God," the heart will quake^ but it will not
melt. No : it is under the influence of the cross on Calvary,
whence flow the blended rays of the love of the Father and
tiie Son. It is under this influence that the heart will be
found to melt ; that the sinner will exclaim —

" Nay, but I yield, I yield !

I can hold out no more ;
I sink, by dying love compeU'd,

And own thee conqueror."

And thus speaks the crucified One by the prophet : —
" They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and
they shall mourn."| O sinner, sinner, what a heart of
adamant must thine be, that will not yield to the influ-
ence of the cross !

3. " Christ crucified" is the informing, inspiring princi-
ple of divine institutions.

Take, for example, the ordinance of baptism. Immersion
in water, (for this, I take it, is the scriptural baptism,) —
what is this, considered in itself? An action of perfect
indifference: having in it neither good nor evil. Nay,
what is it, considered merely in reference to a divine com-
mand ? An act, you will say, of obedience, of submission

* Gal. iii. 1. t Gal. vi. 14. % Zech. xii. 10.

THE SUBJECT OF THE GOSPEL MINISTRY. 95

to divine authority. But baptism, brethren, is more than
this. It is certainly more than an action of indifference ; and
it is more, let me add, than a mere act o? obedience. Bap-
tism, according to the scriptural view of it, is rich with mean-
ing ; and its richest meaning it derives from this informing,
inspiring principle, " Christ crucified." In connection with
this object, it exhibits some of the most important and
deeply interesting truths. I state but a part of its mean-
ing when I say, that it points to the burial and resurrection
of Jesus, and associates the believer with him, by repre-
senting his death unto sin, and his resurrection to righte-
ousness : " Buried with him by baptism into death ; that
like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of
the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life."* O, let every baptized believer consider himself as
placed, like the departed spirit, in a new state of exist-
ence ;f as an inhabitant of that country " from whose
bourne no traveler [to Zion] returns."

And as in regard to baptism, so also in regard to the
Lord''s Supper. Considered in itself, what is it but re-
ceiving a bit of bread, and takmg a sip of wine 1 But
associated with the idea of the crucified Saviour, and cele-
brated in remembrance of him, what a solemn import does
it possess ! Here, the broken body and the*|(fed blood of
the Redeemer are exhibited to view ; and here a mutual
pledge, the pledge of love, takes place between the be-
liever and his crucified Lord. I remark, once more,

4. That " Christ crucified" presents the most efficient
motive to religious action.

It was to be expected, of course, that the motive, the
impelling power, which proved " mighty, through God" to

* Rom. vi. 4.

t Such appears to be the idea intended to be conveyed. Col. ii.
20, and chap. iii. 1, 3.

96 CHRIST CRUCIFIED,

the subduing of the sinner's heart, should operate efTectually
on the believer's life ; and accordingly so we find it. See
how this motive is applied, as to the believer's general
conduct. " For ye are bought with a price : therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are
God's."* "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear
children ; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us,
and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to
God,"f &c. I cannot here enter into details ; suffice it to
observe, that the various duties of life, in all its different
relations, find, in various parts of the Scriptures, their
strongest, their most pungent motives, in the sufferings and
death of the crucified Saviour ; the love which echoed
in his dying groans ; which was written in his heart's
blood.

" Here, strongest motives sting ;

Here, sacred violence assaults the soul;

Here, nothing but compulsion is forborne."

We come,

II. To notice how this blessed object is esteemed by the
world : " to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks,
foolishness."

Such was the reception which depraved nature, in Jews
and Gentiles, gave to this glorious exhibition of divine
philanthropy ! Such the treatment of an object at which
angels looked with adoring wonder ! Would that we had
not to complain of the same sort of treatment from many
in our generation.

Jews and Greeks concurred in rejecting this object, but
from different feelings, and with different views. The
prejudices and predilections of sinful nature are not the
same in all : they take a form according to the peculiar

* 1 Cor. vi. 20. t Ephes. v. 1, 2.

THE SUBJECT OF THE GOSPEL MINISTRY. 97

properties of the seeds which have been sown in the mind,
and the qualities of the moral soil in which they have been
deposited. And this, by the way, furnishes a hint as to
the importance of a timely and a proper culture of the
mind and disposition.

The Jews expected a Messiah; and the indications of
prophecy pointed to this period for the fulfilment of that
expectation. They were looking for the Messiah; but
" Jesus of Nazareth" was not to their wishes. Expecting a
great prince, coming with earthly pomp, they see in him
the " man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;" and, not-
withstanding the evidences of miraculous power which he
manifested, dying at last the accursed death of the cross ! —
They will not receive him ; they cannot remove him out of
the way ; and, hence, he becomes to them " a stumbling
stone and rock of offence." After all the miraculous
evidence which has been given, they still require a sign,
such a sign as shall gratify their own vain and ambitious
desires. The Greeks, on the other hand, are seeking after
wisdom. Taken up with attempting curious discoveries in
nature and in science, they have no relish for this " new
doctrine" of " Christ crucified." To them it is " foolishness."
They mock at the idea of being saved by one who was put
to a shameful death as a malefactor.

Well ! my friends and brethren, the world, while actuated
by its own spirit, and pursuing its own course, still rejects
" Christ crucified." Like the Jews and the Greeks, the
people have now their prejudices and objections, though
they may not assume the same form with those of ancient
times. " The course of this world" changes with changing
circumstances : retaining its hostility amidst all its variety
of forms and changes.

In the general class of these rejecters of " Christ oruci-
5

98 CHRIST CRUCIFIED,

fied," I place the devotees to this ivorld^ the self-righteous,
and the philosophic cavilers.

1. The devotees to this world. The " lovers of plea-
sures, more than lovers of God," who are led captive by-
fleshly appetites and carnal fancies ; the sordid souls, who
sacrifice the prospect of heaven on the altar of mammon ;
the ambitious aspirants, who seek the honor of this world,
and " not the honor which cometh fiom God." To such
as these, " Christ crucified" is an unwelcome object. How
should it be otherwise, since he who receives the Saviour,
must " take up his cross and come after him ]"

2. The self-righteous. These are in the class of the re-
jecters of " Christ crucified." There is an utter inconsist-
ency, a real hostility between the self righteous spirit, and
a spirit of submission to the crucified Saviour. Trusting to
your own fancied goodness for acceptance with God, you
can have no proper sense of your need of a propitiatory-
sacrifice. From an apprehension of some degree of failure,
you may indeed consider yourselves in some measure de-
pendent on the redeeming merits of Christ ; but you do
not receive him in that character under which he is pre-
sented in the gospel, a Saviour of the lost : and so, virtu-
ally, you reject " Christ crucified." Awake ! awake ! ye
self-deluded* souls, to a sense of your need of such a
Saviour ! Kneel at the same footstool of sovereign mercy
with the self condemned publican ; and cease to view the
humbling doctrine of the cross as " a stumbling block."

3. Philosophic cavilers. These also are found in the
ranks of that class of persons who reject '• Christ crucified.''
Under this denomination I include, not only the avowed
unbeliever, who denies divine revelation, and looks on
Christianity as a human invention, but the modified infidel,
who, claiming to be called a Christian^ rejects the doctrine

THE SUBJECT OF THE GOSPEL MINISTRY. 99

of the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, sets at nought the
atoning efficacy of his blood, and considers him as having
suffered and died merely in the character of a martyr.
These are your rational Christians ! The idea of incarnate
divinity ;* of " God manifested in the flesh ;" and the idea
of vicarious suflering, of suffering as a substitute, by way
of atonement ; such views as these, we are told, transcend
the sphere of reason'' s operations — ay ! they stretch beyond
the ken of the eye oi science : they are therefore esteemed
" foolishness ;" and so they are rejected. Of course, it is
not expected that I should here enter into a labored argu-
ment on this point; but tell me, "ye pompous sons of
reason idolized," since you admit that Jesus Christ (what-
ever else he might or might not be) was perfectly pure from
sin ; tell me how it could be consistent with the economy of
the righteous Judge, that he^ the innocent and holy One,
should suffer the most overwhelming agony of soul, and the
bitter pangs of an accursed death '? Are you silent 1 Yes; on
your own ground you must be so. Well, then, the lan-
guage of inspiration shall solve the question ; and in
solving it, testify to the truth which you deny. " Surely,
he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." " He
was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities."! " He bore our sins in his own body on the
tree."J; " He suffered for sins, i\\e.just for the unjust^ that
he might bring us to God."§ It is thus, my friends, that
we account for the sufferings and death of the holy and
beloved Son of God ; and thus, too, it appears, that these

* The rejecters of the atonement are generally found (consistent-
ly enough,) to deny the divinity of Christ.
"' t Isa. liii. 4, 5. X\ Pet. ii. 24. $ 1 Pet. iii. 18.

^o^^23

100 CHRIST CRUCIFIED,

philosophic cavilers are rejecters of " Christ crucified."*
O ! for that humble, teachable spirit, which brings the
sinner down at the foot of the cross ! ay, " the learned and
the rude," on one common ground, to receive the soul-
saving lesson, " that Christ died for our sins, according to
the scriptures ;" and in him alone to trust for redeeming
mercy ! Learmng, science, philosophy — these are all good
in their place ; yea, and they may be made, and ought to
be made, to subserve the interests of religion. But let no
human attainment, no earthly object, displace the teachings
of heavenly truth. Let all be considered, comparatively,
as lumber at the foot of the cross ; and O ! let each one
say, with the apostle, " yea, doubtless, and I count all
things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord."

We have seen how the Jews and the Greeks, and others
like them, have estimated the doctrine of " Christ cruci-
fied." But, by way of jDleasing contrast to these descrip-
tions of character, let us now observe,

III. That there is found, even in our sinful world,
thanks be to God, a class of persons who treat this
glorious object in a different manner. " To them who
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of
God and the wisdom of God."

This favored class of persons were once, like the others,
rejecters of the blessed message of mercy. But no mat-

* Query. How could these rationalists, according to their views,
account for the fact, that the Greeks esteemed the preaching of the
Cross " foolishness V If the apostles represented Christ as suffer-
ing merely as a martyr, to seal the truth with his blood, surely there
was nothing in this to startle their philosophy ! Why, our text
itself is a refutation of the Socinian scheme.

THE SUBJECT OF THE GOSPEL MINISTRY. 101

ter now, whether Jews or Greeks, to them Christ is be-
come " the power of God and the wisdom of God." The
prejudices which darkened their minds have yielded to the
force of truth ; the enmity of the heart is slain ; national
distinctions are merged in the name of Christian ; and
Christ, the crucified one, appears to their view, as he does
not to the view of others.

But it is proper, my hearers, that we should become
better acquainted with the character of this description of
persons. Let us inquire concerning them, under the term
by which they are here designated. They are distin-
guished from the mass of opposers, as the " called :" " To
them who are called, both Jews and Greeks." I under-
stand this term is intended to represent those^ersons who
have obeyed the call ; and so, by way of eminence, they
are termed the " called." The proclamation of the gos-
pel is, indeed, wherever it comes, a call to sinners of the
human family. This day, my hearers, you are called, in
the name, and by the authority of God, to turn from sin,
and come home to Christ. " To-day, if ye will hear his
voice, harden not your hearts." The gospel call reaches
all descriptions ; but, alas ! they have not all obeyed the
gospel." So said Paul, and so must we say. Some are
found, however, to whom the word of truth comes home
with power. They feel its force effectually working.
Convinced of sin, its danger and its evil, they "repent
and turn to God." Persuaded that there is " no other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must
be saved," they believe in the name of Jesus Christ.
They trust in him alone for salvation, and yield their
hearts to him in willing obedience.

These are the " called," and to them, we are told,
" Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God."

102 CHRIST CRUCIFIED,

In his mighty arm is i^ower to effect all the purposes of sal-
vation ; and in him are " all the treasures vi wisdom and
knowledge," to guide him in the exercise of that power.
Not power without wisdom ; to grope in the dark, and
work fearful destruction. Not ivisdom without power ; to
devise a plan, and fiil in the execution. But wisdom and
power combined — unerring wisdom, almighty power —
and these divine attributes impelled to action by match-
less, unspeakable love. O ! what is it which they cannot
effect ? Are we not justified in considering redemption,
through the sacrifice of Christ, as the brightest exhibition
of divine wisdom and divine power, that has ever been
presented, as far as we have understood, to the view of in-
telligent beings 1 These attributes of God, as manifested
in the machinery of the universe, excite our adoring admi-
ration, and have long been celebrated by the " first-born
sons of light" — those " morning stars that sung together"
when the foundations of the w^orld w^ere laid ; but richer
displays of these divine perfections have been reserved
for the wonders of redemption, and these are to call forth
higher admiration, and warmer love, and louder praises.
O ! when the mighty plan^ complete in all its details,
and fully executed, shall be brought before the gaze of
saints and angels, then, from that " great multitude which
no man can number, standing before the throne and be-
fore the Lamb," shall you hear the burst of praise, while
" they cry with a loud voice, saying, salvation to our God
who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb !" And
then will you hear, in responsive strains, from " all the
angels round about the throne" — "Blessing, and glory,
and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and
might, be unto our God, forever and ever. Amen !"*

* Rev. vii. 9—12.

THE SUBJECT OF THE GOSPEL MINISTRY. 103

Surely, brethren, the doctrine of redemption through
" Christ crucified," is the brightest exhibition of divine wis-
dom and divine power. What wisdom in that plan, which,
while it secures the honor of the eternal throne, opens the
channel by which mercy can flow to sinful man ; which presents
to our view the glorious Ruler of the universe, at once " se-
verely just and immensely good P^ — "^'ws/, and i\\Q, jiistijier
of him who believeth in Jesus." What wisdom in the de-
tails of this glorious plan — in the provision which is made
for the application of its benefits to fallen man, and for a
supply of grace sufficient for all the cases and conditions
which life or death may require ! And then, what i^ower ; —
ay, what power, in the execution of this gracious design !
I pass over here the miracles in the life of our Lord ; but
what power, in overcoming by his cross the mighty foe of
God and man ; in breaking the fetters of death, and
bursting the barriers of the tomb ; in conquering the
hearts of sinners ; sustaining, strengthening, and defend-
ing, the souls of feeble bslievers ; in carrying them safely
through death ; and finally, in bringing them forth from
the dark abode of the grave, to a state of immortal
blessedness ; in a word, what power, from the victory of
our Redeemer on the cross, to the triumphant completion
of the great work of salvation — " Christ the power of
God and the wisdom of God !"

A few thoughts by way of aioplication will bring our
subject to a close.

1. AVe may remark, that " Christ crucified" forms the
essence of the gospel. We include, however, in the exhi-
bition of this object, the burial and resurrection of our
Redeemer ; and thus we present you with what the apos-
tle Paul has declared to the Corinthians, to be the gospel
which he had preached to them. " Moreover, brethren, I
declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you,

104 CHRIST CRUCIFIED,

which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand." And
what that gospel was, he presently tells them. " For I
delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received,
how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scrip-
tures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the
third day, according to the scriptures."* This exhibition
of Christ is the foundation which, " as a wise master-
builder," the apostle had laid for the hope of a dying
world ; and " other foundation, he declares, can no man
lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."f

2. And now, dear friends, this blessed object is pre-
sented to your attention, — Christ crucified, dead and
buried, and rising from the dead to a glorious immor-
talit}^ ! How does this object, " the preaching of Christ
crucified," appear in your view: as "a stumbling block,"
as " foolishness," or as " the power of God and the wis-
dom of God f Be you assured, that according as this
blessed object appears in your view, so is the state you
are in, whether of death or of life: " For the preaching of
the cross is to them that perish, foolishness ; but unto us,
who are saved, it is the power of God." Consider, I beseech
you, the consequence on the one side and on the other —
a state oi perdition connected with a rejection of the doc-
trine of " Christ crucified" — a state of salvation, with its cor-
dial acceptance. And not only is this blessed oh]e,Q,t presented
to you, it is pressed upon you. The atoning blood of the
Saviour ofiers a remedy to your consciences, to heal the
wounds of guilt; his dying love makes its appeal to
your hearts, to melt them down in penitent submis-
sion ; his living power hovers over your souls, to save
them from destruction. The tree of life, exhibited in the
gospel, stands before you, laden with the fruits of immor-

• 1 Cor. XV. 1, 3, 4. t Ch. iii., 10, 11.

THE SUBJECT OF THE GOSPEL MINISTRY. 105

tality, and you are invited to come and partake. ''Why
will ye die 1" O favored sinners ! Why will you refuse,
and perish in your sins ? You need not perish. Faith
will bring you into contact with this tree of life. Reach
forth the hand, and partake of its fruits : the pardon of
your sins, the justification of your persons, the sanctifi-
cation of your souls, peace with God, and life eternal.
Such are the fruits to be gathered from the tree of the
cross, and gathered by faith ; that " faith which works by
love," and brings the heart to submit to Christ, and trust
in him alone for salvation. Exercising such a faith as
this, and ready to prove its influence by unreserved obe-
dience, you need not perplex yourselves with mystery,
nor wait for a miracle ; you may claim the style of " be-
lievers in Jesus Christ ;" you have a right to receive the
visible pledge of his favor, by being baptized in his name ;
yea, you have become the hopeful candidates for the prize
of eternal life.

3. In conclusion. Does " Christ crucified" appear, in
your view, " the power of God and the wisdom of God" —
the brightest reflection of the divine glory 1 and as such,
have you received and cordially embraced him *? With
many of you, I trust that this is, indeed, the case ; and
surely I may say, that " this is to you an evident token of
salvation." While I thank God on your behalf, and while
I congratulate you on the favored state into which you
have entered, sufter me to remind you, brethren, of the
debt which we owe to matchless grace. What are we
doing for Him who died to redeem us, and sent his word,
and sent His Spirit, to win us over to his service % O !
that we may feel more deeply our obligations ; that we
may be endued with fresh vigor in his cause ; pursue, with
unwearied perseverance, the Christian course, and find our
5*

106 THE ATONEMENT.

hearts ever tuned to unite in the doxology, " unto him that
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his
Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen."

€\)i atninmint.

No TE. — In regard to the " Atonement," — a subject intimately con-
nected with the foregoing discourse, I wish to offer here some re-
marks, with reference to certain views or representations, which
to me appear to be seriously erroneous.

As preparatory, however, to this object, it may be pro-
per to observe, that the very existence of the atonement,
as a Christian doctrine, has been called in question, on the
ground, among other objections, that the word itself
does not occur in the New Testament, except in one in-
stance, (Rom. V. 11,) where the original term is properly
rendered, as in the marginal reading, reco7iciliation.
Now, the truth of this criticism is readily admitted, while
the futility of the argument or objection drawn from it
can easily be exposed. The fact is this : The word which,
in the Old Testament, is translated atonement^ is rendered
in the Septuagint (Greek) version by a word, (ilasmos,)
which is adopted by the writers of the New Testament,
in reference to the death of Christ, and is translated j)ro-
pitiation. This w^ord, ilasmos, propitiation, is, therefore,
identical with atonement. What, then, becomes of this
objection ? It vanishes into nothing ; and we maintain the
position, that atonement, or propitiation, is a foundation-
principle of the New Testament,

THE ATONEMENT. 107

The erroneous representations in relation to this sub-
ject, as above alluded to, I now proceed to notice.

1. In treating on the atonement, or the death of Christ
as a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of men, the subject
appears to have been sometimes represented in a manner
tending to produce the impression, that the Father and
the Son possessed, originally, different dispositions to-
wards the sinful race of mankind : the 07ie, burning with
wrath ; the other, melting with compassion ; the former
disposed to exercise vengeance, and the latter interposing
to appease his anger. Any representation giving room
for ideas so unworthy, must be owing to a sad misconcep-
tion of the subject, or to an unhappy manner of holding
it forth. And the opposers of the cetonement, who seem
too ready to avail themselves of any crude notions or in.
advertent expressions, in order to cast an odium on the
doctrine, ought to know, that such a view would receive
the sanction of none of its intelligent advocates.

In exhibiting the economy of Redemption, it is con-
ceived that we may, not improperly^ represent the Father
as 0(jcupying the province of Guardian of the rights of
Deity and the honor of the eternal throne ; and, there-
fore, as requiring, on behalf of Divine justice, a propitia-
tory sacrifice, in order to the consistent operation of mercy
for the salvation of offending man ; unspeakable benevo-
lence, at the same time, moving in his bosom towards this
glorious object. The Son, equally disposed to vindicate
all the claims of Deity, and actuated by the same Divine
benevolence, assumes the office of Kedeemer, and so be-
comes a willing sacrifice, that the glorious object may be
accomplished. There is no difference of dispositions ; the
mind of Deity is one.

Thus, then, to conceive correctly of this matter, we are

16S THE ATONEMENT.

not to consider God the Father as hating us, and Christ
the Son as moving him to love us. But this is the true
state of the ease — that " God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son," &c. John iii. 16. Yes, that
''he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for
our sins." 1 John ii. 2. It is, indeed, for Christ's sake,
and through Him, that God communicates his favor to us ;
but not on account of Christ, that He was originally moved
to have designs of benevolence and mercy towards us.

In all this, there is nothing inconsistent with the exer-
cise of " Divine wrath" against sin, and against sinners on
account of it ; wrath in God being not, as too often it is
in man, a malignant passion, but his righteous displea-
sure— his holy indignation against sin, as dishonoring his
law, and doing an injury to the well-being of the crea-
tion.

2. Another item, of which 1 wish here to take a very
brief notice, as, in my view, erroneous, respects the nature
of the " atonement." The error, as I consider it, lies in
conceiving of this matter and in representing it, too much
in accordance with the idea of a pecuniary transaction —
of a penalty paid, or a debt discharged with a sum of
money. It is true, indeed, that the figurative manner in
which the atonement is sometimes represented in the
scriptures, has reference to such a transaction, and that
there is, of course, some striking analogy which justifies
the reference — " ye are bought with a price" — " ye were
not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold,
&c., but with the precious blood of Christ." At the same
time, however, the impropriety of detailing all possible
analogies ought not to be lost sight of; and no greater in-
jury, perhaps, has been done to the subject of the atone-
ment than has arisen from treating it in this manner-

THE ATONEMENT. 109

The true idea, as to the object or result of the propitiatory-
sacrifice of Christ, is expressed by the apostle, Rom. iii.
26, " That God might be just, and the justifier of him
who believeth in Jesus." A broad basis is thus laid for
the operation of redeeming mercy, as God may see proper
to exercise it. He is not laid under any obligation to all,
or any number of individuals, to exonerate them from the
penalty which attaches to guilt ; and hence the application
of the atonement, or the actual redemption of any sinner,
is still an act of free favor on the part of God. And ac-
cordingly, so we find the apostle teaches. Rom. iii. 24.
" Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemp-
tion that is in Christ Jesus."

These remarks on the nature of the atonement, lead to
the question as to its extent. And here I take occasion to
say, that a consistent and scriptural view of this subject
appears to lead to the conclusion, that the atonement is
general in its nature and extent. As opening a way for
the salvation of sinners, considered as sinners., it is general
in its nature ; and as being of sufficient value for the sal-
vation of the world, it is general in its extent. At the
same time, it may be proper to remark, that redemption-)
considered as the result and application of the atonement,
is limited, of course, to those who actually become the
subjects of grace; in other words, to those who become
believers in Jesus.

CljB^lninnsal Iprui nf l\)t (UnBptL

DELIVERED IN THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, RICHMOND, VA., BEFORE
THE GENERAL ASSOCIATION OF VIRGINIA, AT THE ANNIVERSARY,
JUNE, 1842.

" That thy way may "be IcDown upon earth, thy saving health,
among all nations.' — Psalm ixvii. 2.

The general tenor of the Psalm before us appears strong-
ly to favor the prevaiUng view, which considers the holy
religion of the Bible as destined to obtain a more extended
prevalence than the world as yet has witnessed. It seems
to direct the mental vision to a state of things jet prospect-
ive : " a consummation devoutly to be wished," when
" the earth shall be fall of the knowledge of the Lord, as
the waters cover the sea." Isa. xi. 9. So far as we can
gather, with respect to the purpose of restoring mercy and
grace, as unfolded to us in the Bible, it would seem that
our guilty v/orlcl is at some period to be redeemed from
the withering, blasting curse which has gone forth over it ;
and that in both a moral and physical point of view, it is
to regain its pristine beauty and glory. Desirable state,
indeed ! when our earth, on which, for thousands ol vtars,
have been exhibited such scenes of abomination, shall be-

THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. Ill

come a theatre for the exliibition of the wonders of redeem-
ing grace ; and our fallen world, which has so long been
subjected to the dominion of Satan, and constituted, in a
manner, the suburbs of Hell, shall become, as of right it
should be, a province of the holy kingdom, quite within
the purlieus of heaven !

Under what form, or in what manner, or at what period
of time, this desirable consummation shall be effected, it is
not my purpose now to inquire ; and inquiry, indeed,
would probably leave you and myself still involved in
much darkness on this point. Whether the millennial
reign, therefore, will be spiritual ov personal ; or whether,
according to Dr. Gill's view, the personal millennium
will be preceded by a universal spiritual reign, are ques-
tions which at present I shall not attempt to resolve. Mr.
Miller's theory, which fixes on the ensuing year for the
personal coming, the second advent of our Lord, appears
to me to be founded in mistake. According to his own
interpretation, there are preliminary and preparatory
scenes to be exhibited, which heretofore have failed to
take place, and cannot be crowded into the little space
which now remains. Of this, however, we are certain :
that the long vista of time, through which the prophetic
eye took its view, when this Psalm was composed, is now
greatly shortened ; and we may well presume that there
remains, comparatively, but a little space to be traveled, till
we meet some great event : the more immediate precursor
of "the coming of the Lord." From the shadows of
coming events, we may augur their near approach ; but
these shadows seem not to be so well defined, that we can
say, precisely, what those events are, nor when they shall
take place. O, may every heart be prepared for the latter-

112 THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL.

day glory ! every tongue cry, " Thy kingdom come !" and
every hand be ready to aid in its advancement !

In presenting my text to your more particular notice, I
ask your attention to the connection in which it stands with
the foregoing verse — the first verse of the psalm : " 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." Our text, you wall observe,
forms the ground of the foregoing petition; or, if you
please, it presents the great object, with a view to which
the petition is preferred. " God be merciful unto us, and
bless us ; and cause his face to shine upon us." For what
purpose 1 To what intent 1 Not merely for our own sake,
for our own comfort and benefit ; but " that thy way may
be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations."
We may here remark, that when God lifts up the light of
his countenance upon his Church, it is expected, of course,
that she will reflect that light, and that the world around
shall share in the blessing. So the moon, opaque in her-
self, reflects the light of the sun ; and nature thus illus-
trates evangelical truth. The sun, the great ruler of the
day, needs not the borrowed lustre of the moon : she there-
fore pays her tribute where it is needed, and throws her
silver mantle over the darkness of our earth. God does
not need the feeble light which we can reflect ; but he says :
" Pay it yonder ; shine on the benighted world around
you ; and thus let your Father in Heaven be glorified."
And thus, O Lord, may it be ! " that thy way may
be known upon earth, thy saving health among all na-
tions."

Enter with me, dear friends, into this subject ; and let
us consider.

THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 113

I. The want of saving health among the nations of our
sinful world.

II. God's way for the restoration of fallen man ; and

III. The universality of this blessing, as here desired by
the Psalmist.

Our subject ought surely to be considered one in which
we are all deeply interested. The topics proposed, are of
the highest importance, and concern not a part only, but
the whole of the human race.

First, then, we propose to consider the want of saving
health among the nations : all the inhabitants of our sinful
world.

There is a natural health of the body ; as when the system
is free from disease or distemper, and all its parts are in
proper and harmonious keeping. There is also a natural
health of the mitid ; as when its faculties perform their
proper functions, and are not subject to irrational excite-
ment or depression. And this natural health of body and
mind is justly esteemed one of the greatest blessings with-
in the range of nature's endowments. A sound mind in a
sound body is a desideratum, for the want of which, no
earthly good can furnish a compensation.

But there is to be brought into our account a state of
spiritual health ; a state in which the mental faculties are
in harmonious keeping with the will of God, and with one
another — that " saving health" which is spoken of in our
text ; and of this state, alas ! the world is despoiled !
Yes, dear friends, a dire disease has infected the whole
human family ! A disease, how fearful in its nature,
and fatal in its issue! Need I name this disease? —
It is pronounced in one word — a little monosyllable, but of
tremendous import — it is SIN! This is the dire disease,
so fearful in its character, so fatal in its issue, and exceed-

114 THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL.

iug all other diseases in malignity, as far as the moral state
of man transcends in importance any natural condition in
which he may be placed. Nay, it is the banefid root of
all other diseases, the remote but efficient cause of our
mortal dissolution ; and issuing at last, unless arrested in
its progress, in that tremendous catastrophe, the second
death ! Let me not be accused of indulging in the creation
of extravagant images in presenting the moral condition of
fallen man under this figure ; it is authorized by the volume
of inspiration- And bear with us, dear friends, if in
shadowing forth man's moral portrait, we dip the pencil
in sombre colors ; faithfulness to the original requires it
at our hands.

Diseased! yes, deplorably so! "Tlie whole head is
sick, and the whole heart is faint." View the understand-
ing : how dark with respect to divine things ! The judg-
ment : how erroneous its decisions on sacred subjects !
The will : how perverse in its dictates and disposition !
The affections: how alienated from holiness and from
God!

Diseased ! Nay, there is a complication of diseases !
What is pride, but a moral dropsy, that " swells the haughty
worm f What is avarice, but a morbid canine appetite,
that " never saith, it is enough V And worldly ambition,
and lust and envy ? Ay^ they not so many types of burning
fever, kindled in the blood by the poison of sin 1 And
hatred and cruelty? What are they but the effects of a rabid
disease, inflicted by the bite of the old serpent 1 Alas !
alas ! " Is there no balm in Gilead ? Is there no physi-
cian there V Exercise a little patience, and we shall
hear.*

* These thoughts, somewhat varied in expression, and a little
enlarged, will be found in the sketch on another page in this

THE tJNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 115

It is true, indeed, thtat were we to treat particularly of
the character of this complicated disease, as it appears
throughout the human family, we should have to admit a
difference in its virulence, in different persons, and under
different circumstances ; but still we should insist on its
identity : its radical sameness, in all persons, and the same
fatal issue, unless arrested by some remedy which human
skill can never furnish. Surely we must say, " There is
no health in us." " The whole head is sick, and the whole
heart is faint." And is there no balm for this feaiful
wound; no remedy for this fatal disease? Thanks be to
God ! there is ; and I may congratulate you, my dying
fellow-creatures, that we have to consider,

II. God's way for the restoration of fallen man to a state
of moral health. " That thy way may be known upon
earth, thy saving health among all nations."

Quacks have tried their skill, and exhausted their reme-
dies in vain. Four thousand years were allowed for the
experiments of human ingenuity ; and philosophers have
elaborated their systems, and legislators have formed their
codes, and moralists have laid down their precepts, and
devotees have tried their penances, and still the deadly
sickness has prevailed ; and sin still continued to reign
" lord of the ascendant." Give place, then, for " God's
way to be known upon earth, his saving health among
all nations."

Our spiritual disease consists in guilt and pollution
and the remedy must be adapted to the case in both these
respects. The remedy which we now present to your at-
tention is thus adapted. It comes to meet, to neutralize,
to conquer the disease, in both these respects. And the

volume. They are given there as well as here, because they are
equally connected with the subject there under consideration, as
with the one here treated of. — Ed.

116 THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL.

remedy is found in God''s method of salvation hy Jesus
Christ. " That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so
might grace reign, through righteousness unto eternal life,
by Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. v. 21. If sin then
be the moral disease^ reigning unto death, grace is the
sovereign remedy, reigning unto eternal life ; and the medi-
um through which it reigns, is Jesus Christ our Lord.
Here is a way for the restoration of fallen man, a way
consistent with the moral character of God ; " that he
might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in
Jesus." Rom. iii. 26. Infinite wisdom has devised the
plan ; infinite love resolved on its adoption ; and infinite
power puts it in execution. Jesus Christ has provided the
blessed remedy, and the gospel exhibits it to our view ;
(excuse me for carrying out this figure a little) conviction
probes the deadly wound ; repentance puts it in a healing
way, and faith, justifying faith, receives and applies the
remedy. Dying sinners, why, O why will you perish %
" Is there no balm in Gilead 1 Is there no physician there*?
Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people
recovered f Jer. viii. 22.

But you wdll indulge me in being a little more parti-
cular on this point. I have said that our spiritual malady
consists in guilt and pollution ; and that the remedy must,
in both respects, be appropriated to the disease. And I
have said that the remedy now presented to your notice,
possesses the fitness requisite for the occasion. Let us
see how this position may be sustained ; or, in other
words, how, in the provision made by redeeming grace,
our guilt can be cancelled, and our moral pollution over-
come.

Guilt is the consequence of transgression, producing a
liability to punishment ; and as all have transgressed, all
are guilty. And guilt must forever attach to the trans-

THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OE THE GOSPEL. 117

gressor, and forever bar against him the gates of the hea-
venly paradise, unless by some means the burden be
lifted from his soul, and an act of pardoning grace deliver
him from condemnation. Shall the condemned criminal be
admitted into the parlor of the righteous judge, while the
sentence of condemnation is hanging over him ? No ! Drive
the presumptuous wretch from the door : shut him up in the
dark and hopeless prison. Dear friends, the guilty sinner
must be acquitted — must be restored to favor, or never
can he be admitted into the mansion of the Great Judge,
" whose eyes are purer than to behold iniquity." Now
this is precisely the object, for the accomplishment of
which, the blood of the atonement has made provision.
It is the " blood which is shed for many, for the remission
of sins." Matt. xxvi. 28. Christ is set " forth to be a
propitiation, through faith in his blood." (Rom. iii. 25.)
And God, consistently with his righteous government, can
pass an act of free forgiveness on the believing sinner, and
" deliver him from going down into the pit, for he has
found a ransom" — yea, can now consistently receive him
into favor.

But deliverance from guilt merely, would not prepare a
sinner for the state of heavenly bliss. As guilt bars
against him the gates of the new Jerusalem, so the preva-
lence of moral pollution renders him unfit for the enjoy-
ment of that state. In love with sin, and at enmity with
the holy character of God, how could the unrenewed soul
enjoy the society and the happiness of the third heaven ?
Mahomet's fancied paradise might suit him : but " the
paradise of God" would prove to him a hell ! Behold that
blazing throne and Him that sits upon it ! You are an
opposer to his government ! Yonder stands the slighted
Saviour ! How could you stand before him ! See the

118 THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL.

"innume'rable company of angels !" They are not your
kindred spirits. And, hark ! that strain of heavenly
music ! 'Tis the song of the redeemed I Can you join
in the choi'us 1 Let us listen ! " Worthy is the Lamb that
was slain, to receive power and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honor, and glory, and blessedness." (Rev.
V. 12.) O sinner, sinner ! you are unlit to unite in that
strain. The power of moral pollution must be overcome ;
you must be " renewed in the spirit of your mind ;" and,
blessed be God ! for this too, provision is made in the
glorious scheme of redeeming grace ! As through the
atoning blood of Christ, the guilty sinner can be freely and
fully acquitted, so by.the influence of his Spirit can the
love and power of sin be overcome, and a principle im-
planted, which fits the soul for the enjoyment of heaven.
Rom. viii. 2, 13. And by what instrumentality can all
this be effected ? — The sinner acquitted from guilt, and pre-
pared for the heavenly bliss 1 1 answer, by virtue of a
confiding, loving, and obedient faith. By faith we are
justified, and so have peace with God, through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Rom. v. 1. And by faith we are sancti-
fied, and so made meet for the heavenly inheritance.
Acts xxvi. 18.

I add, that God's way includes the exercise of practical
religion, in all the relations which we sustain, in regard to
ourselves, to other persons, and to God. " The grace of
God that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men,
teaching us, that denying ungodliness and wordly lusts,
we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this pre-
sent world." Tit. ii. 11, 12. Here are the general
duties of life, appertaining to the general relations or capa-
cities in which we stand ; namely, in regard to ourselves^
to others, and to God: '■^soberly, righteously^ godly.''''

THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 119

These ^ene^-aZrelationsand duties include all in particular ;
but we cannot here enter into detail.

We have thus taken a view of God's way for the
recovery of fallen man to a state of moral health : the way
of salvation through Jesus Christ, the way of faith, the way
of justification from guilt, the way of holiness in heart and
life. It is a state of begun recovery here^ to be perfected
hereafter in the deathless state of immortal health and
happiness. We come now to consider,

III. The universality of this blessing, as here desired by
the psalmist : " That thy way may be known upon earth,
thy saving health among all nations.^^

This was an object which lay near the heart of the
" sweet singer in Israel" — one which he devoutly prayed
for, and earnestly expected. When clouds obscured the
pleasing prospect, he hung his harp on the willow, and
wept in silence. But again the bright vision breaks upon
his view ; he catches the inspiration ; he resumes his harp ;
he tunes it afresh ; and, filled with holy fire, he sweeps the
silver chords, and pours forth, in triumphant strains, the
very music of heaven ! Brethren, if we possess the spirit
which actuated the psalmist, we, too, shall earnestly de-
sire and pray for this object ; and we, too, shall rejoice in
the prospect of its consummation. And now let it be ob-
served and well remembered, that what we desire and pray
for^ we should labor after^ and employ our efforts and ener-
gies to accomplish. Were it not a subject of too serious
import for amusement, I should have been amused at the
strange inconsistency which has marked the course of
some few good brethren within the circle of my acquaint-
ance. At one time you might hear them pouring forth
their prayers, that God would send the blessed gospel
through the whole habitable globe, and fill the world with

120 THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL.

the knowledge of the Lord ; and then opposing mission-
ary operations — arguing against them as the fruit of man's
invention, and calculated to rob God of his honor, by tak-
ing the work out of his hands. Now, were it God's me-
thod to convert men without means, without human in-
strumentality, there would be some reason in the objec-
tion of these good people, whose jealousy is thus aroused
for the honor of the Lord of hosts ; and so, also, in that
case, would there be reason in objecting to the preaching
of the gospel under any circumstances, and to any people ;
ay, and td'the necessity or utility of becoming acquainted
with the Bible. But for this^ it is presumed, none are pre-
pared to contend. The institution of 23reaching the gospel,
and teaching the truths of the Bible, was designed, it will
be admitted, for the conversion of sinners and the edifica-
tion of the Church. The first heralds of the cross were
sent forth by the Great Master expressly with this view :
" Go ye, t]|erefore, and disciple all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatso-
ever I have commanded you ; and lo ! I am with you al-
ways, even to the end of the world." Matthew xxviii.,
19, 20.

The only question, then, seems to be this : " Shall we
use our efforts to spread the gospel — to diffuse the know
ledge of Bible truth throughout the world 1 And, breth-
ren, dear brethren, shall this, indeed, be a question with us?
If we are not to do it, who shall do it ? Or has the Mas-
ter's command ceased with the first age of Christianity ;
and is there now no authority for publishing the tidings of
salvation at home or abroad 1 If so, wo unto us ! — for
then is " the glorious gospel of the blessed God" but a
dead letter to us, and then have all the precious promises

THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 121

which spring from it, vanished into thin air ; and then
have all the sweet hopes which cluster around it taken
their everlasting flight, and left us wrapt in the darkness
of despair ! Methinks I hear you say, " Never — O never,
can we consent to this !" No, nor can I ; and, thanks be
to God, there is no occasion for it. The gospel still main-
tains its efficacy, and is still "the power of God unto sal-
vation, to every one that believeth." Rom. i. 16. And
this fict, brethren, that the gospel remains " in full force
and virtue," retaining still its vital, undying power, argues
the propriety, the duty of publishing the gospel. Do you
ask, " On ivJiom does the duty of publishing the gospel
now devolve f I answer, on all Christians — on all the
friends of Christ and his cause, according to the talents
and the means of which they are possessed. God has ex-
empted none from bearing a part in this work ; or, if you
please, he has excluded none from that privilege ; and, if
there be first a willing mmd, it is accepted " according to
that a mian hath, and not according to that he hath not."
2 Cor. viii. 12. Some have the talent for preaching,
and are marked out by Heaven for the work of the min-
istry ; but they are not angels, but human creatures, and
must be supported by human means. Well, and others
who may not have that talent, possess the means for aid-
ing in the necessary support. Let them freely and libe-
rally contribute of their earthly substance for this purpose.
This is the treasury of the Lord, and who will refuse to
honor the draft of the King of Heaven ? And then, again,
you can show yourselves in other ways the advocates for
the cause of Christ ; all can make an offering of their
prayers — their earnest cries to God for the salvation of
dying sinners, and the prosperity of Zion.

If, now, you should ask, " tvhere must the gospel be pub-
6

122 THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL.

lished V ■ I would answer, in all the world ; and on us it
devolves to do our part towards this desirable consumma-
tion. Those with whom we may be more immediately
connected, claim, our first regard. " Though God hath
made of one blood all nations of men," the destitute re-
gions of our own country may well be allowed the prece-
dence in the exercise of our Christian benevolence ; as, in
the first promulgation of the gospel, the messengers of
salvation w^ere directed to " begin at Jerusalem." These
labors of love, however, were not then, nor are they now
to be confined to the regions of home. " Ye shall be wit-
nesses unto me, said our Lord, both in Jerusalem and in
all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of
the earth." Acts i. 8.

And now, brethren and friends, what more shall I say
to impress upon you a sense of this deeply interesting ob-
ject ■? I have made an appeal to your minds with respect
to the duty which calls us to action in this case ; would
that I could so appeal to your hearts as to engage your
sympathy in aid of a sense of duty ! Let us, by way of
illustration, suppose a case which shall concern our bodily
condition. We readily comprehend the concerns of the
body.

Let us suppose that a disease of hopeless character, a
fatal plague, has for a length of time been raging amongst
us, and in the regions around. The sick, and the dying,
and the dead, mark its fearful progress, and all appliances
have failed to afford relief. At last, however, the happy
discovery is made, of an efiectual remedy for this horrid
disease ; experience has tested its virtue, and proved its
efficacy. Whenever the remedy is applied, returning
health begins to sparkle in the languid eye, and to mantle
the pallid cheek. The progress of death is arrested,

THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 123

and hope and joy take the place of despair and wretchedness !
This happy discovery, however, is confined at present to
our particular neighborhood — a small part of the infected
region. Yonder, not far off, and yonder^ on the distant
frontiers of the settlement, the fatal disease reigns un-
checked, and death, on his pale horse, still reigns trium-
phant ! Now, dear friends, how would you feel, and how
would you act in this case 1 Content yourselves with
your own favored lot, and selfishly enjoy the benefit 1
" No, you say, perish the thought ! Dispatch couriers to
give notice of the discovery. Send physicians and apo-
thecaries with the medicine and prescriptions, and let our
languishing, dying fellow-creatures share in the blessing of
which we have partaken." Well done, ye kind-hearted,
sympathizing spirits ! all the good and benevolent will ap-
plaud your course, and your own consciences, and God
himself, will approve.

Well, my brethren and friends, need I now make the
a^^plication 1 I am sure you will anticipate me. The
fearful, fatal, moral plague, issuing in the second death,
has infected the whole human family. Once we were
under its direful influence : " But God, who is rich in
mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together
with Christ : (by grace ye are saved :) and hath raised
us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places, in Christ Jesus." Ephes. ii. 4 — 6. And now,
brethren, — ye who have witnessed the vii'tue of the sove-
reign remedy in the hand of the heavenly physician — lift
up your eyes, and behold the destitute tracts within the
limits of our own country, and our own state even ! And
look beyond to the distant regions, over whose inhabitants
hangs the deep and hopeless shadow of death ! See the

124 THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL.

multitudes of the sick and the dying, and say — shall we
not send to these unhappy creatures the balm of Calvary —
the healing, restoring remedy, which the great Physician
has provided for perishing siimers ? O yes ! let us do
what we can towards this desirable object, and win the ap-
probation of good men, of the holy angels, of our own
consciences, and of the blessed God himself

For your encouragement in this good work, I must re-
fer you to the reports of our missionaries, where you will
find, that the labor expended in this service has not been
in vain in the Lord. In our own country, the message of
salvation has been carried into regions which had worn, in
a great measure, the character of a dreary waste ; and in
those regions, sinners have been converted to God,
churches have been planted, and, in some instances, pro-
vided with pastors. And then, with respect to the regions
of heathenism, overhung for ages with shadows deep and
dense, " upon them hath the light shined !" There the
voice of the missionary has not sounded in vain ; and
there the press has sent forth " the word of life," trans-
lated into various languages and dialects — supplying, in a
manner, the pentecostal gift of tongues, and thus kindling
up the little fires, which, though now " few and far be-
tween," are destined ultimately to unite in one general
blaze — consuming the mighty mass of superstitious trum-
pery, dispelling the darkness, and animating, with vital
warmth, the cold and cheerless shades of death !

And now, dear brethren and friends, let me ask, who
will refuse to help on towards the furtherance of this
object 1 — or, rather, who will not desire and 7'esolve
to bear a part in those efforts which tend to its ac-
complishment ? How refined a gratification — what a
sublime pleasure — must expand the heart, from a con-

THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL. 125

sciousness of having contributed to such an object !
— of having aided in delivering thousands, ay, mil-
lions^ from the thraldom of the most appalling supersti-
tion, and all its horiid consequences, and in bringing
them under the influence of that blessed dispensation of
mercy and grace, which presents the only sure hope of
eternal life to the dying race of Adam ! And here let me
remark, that, great as are the advantages, temporal and
spiritual, which result from the influence of the gospel, in
the present state of things, we are encouraged to expect a
mighty increase of that influence and its happy effects
as the favored period advances to which we are now look-
ing forward — the season when, according to the prophetic
testimony, " the light of the moon shall be as the light of
the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as
the lig^t of seven days." Isa. xxx. 26. Not only
shall this heavenly religion be more extensive in its range,
but more powerful in its operation ; and the Church, in
her moral features, shall bear a nearer resemblance to the
Zion of God in her triumphant state.

" How fair the daughter of Jerusalem then !
How gloriously from Zion's hill she looks !
Cloth' d with the sun, and in her train the moon,
And on her head a coronet of stars ;
And girding round her waist, with heavenly grace,
The bow of mercy bright ; and in her hand,
Immanuel's cross, her sceptre and her hope."

[POLLOK.

O, may every heart unite in the language of the psalm-
ist— " 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."

€^i %tmflr\ fnr iBart-tKrntiliUs,

"Let not your heart Toe troubled: ye Taelieve in God, believe
also in me." — ^Jolin xiv. 1.

Amidst the variety of subjects, which, for a considerable
tfine past, have employed the attention of our ministers,
whether in the pulpit or from the press, there is one topic
which seems to have been almost entirely overlooked. I
mean the consolations which the gospel has provided, as
the remedy for the troubles and afflictions of God's people.
Important as the subjects of discussion have been, and
worthy of the deepest regard, they do not supply this
" lack of service" — a service which, in its place, appears
to be as pressingly called for as any that we can render to
the Church of Christ.

Make the best of human life, brethren, it is fated to have
its griefs ; nor has the highly privileged state of the Chris-
tian exempted him from this lot. The aspect, indeed, of
the Church's trial may change with changing times and
circumstances ; so also may the measure of our sufferings.
The afflictions of the primitive Christians, in apostolic
times, were, in some respects, of a different character from
those which are experienced by us, and much more grievous
to be borne ; particularly in regard to earthly privations
and bodily sufferings. Yet have we our measure meted

THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES. 127

out to US ; and so must we expect it will be, while we in-
habit this vale of tears, and while we have to conflict with
sin and with its train of evils. Christian sufferings, how-
ever, are not to be considered in the light of a ciirse^
inflicted merely as the penalty of sin ! No ! our gracious
Master, in his wisdom and covenant love, has given them
a disciplinary character ; has infused into these bitter
draughts a wholesome quality; and, as a pledge of his
kindness, has furnished the means for sweetening the
draught, and for sustaining the spirit in its painful strug-
gles.

It is my present purpose, brethren, to throw some con-
tribution into that division of the spiritual treasury which
seems most to need it ; in other words, to present, as I
may be enabled, the remedy which the gospel furnishes
for the troubles of the heart : " Let not your heart be
troubled ; ye believe in God, believe also in me." I shall
not stop here to inquire whether, as some think, the trans-
lation would be improved by rendering both these expres-
sions imperatively : " Believe in God, believe also in me."
In substance and eff*ect, the two readings amount to the
same thing ; and I deem it unnecessary to trouble you or
myself with this criticism.

Our text is a small part of an extended discourse, de-
livered by our Lord to his Apostles : — " the eleven," I
mean, for Judas had gone out at an early period in the
conversation which took place at the table. It was his
valedictory address; his farewell sermon to his beloved
little band, after the last supper, and just before his sepa-
ration from them by death. This circumstance, you can
easily conceive, is well calculated to add weight to the
things which were spoken, and to deepen the interest of a
discoui-se in itself so interesting and so weighty.

128 THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES.

" The things concernhig Jesus" were now hastening to a
crisis ; the dreadful agony was just at hand ; Pilate's bar
rose in full prospect before him, and death, in its most ap-
palling form, was staring him in the face ! Nevertheless,
his heart is on his disciples; his affections still linger
around the little family from which he is presently to be
separated ; and, as a rich legacy suited to their need, he
leaves tljem this, his farewell sermon.

Yes, " a rich legacy suited to their need." How admi-
rably ! how sweetly suited ! what wise instructions ! what
salutary admonitions ! what soul-encouraging promises ! and
what soothing and consoling assurances for desponding
spirits ! All bearing the impress of heaven itself, and
blended in harmonious keeping, to meet the cases of those
to whom they were addressed. Surely, my friends, we
may well apply to this discourse of our blessed Lord, the
character which Solomon gives to a word fitly spoken :
" like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Surely these
heavenly truths, these precious promises, grounded on the
power, and love, and faithfulness of Christ, are more
beautiful to the view of the soul, than would be to the
bodily eye the rich piece of needlework, where figures of
glowing apples are wrought with threads of gold on a
ground of silver tissue.

But it is with that feature of our Lord's discourse which
is more peculiarly adapted to the consolatioti of his forlorn
disciples, that we are now particularly concerned. My
text is one of those passages which exhibit that feature in a
strong light, and is of so comprehensive a character, that
it seems capable of a bearing on all cases of suffering to
which the Christian may be liable. No particular case is
here specified ; no matter what it may be. Here is the
remedy : " Ye believe in God, believe also in me." The

THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES. 129

prospect presented by this divine faith is calculated to
brighten the gloom of affliction. " In my father's house
are many mansions. — I go to prepare a place for
you."

Enter with me into this subject. " Let not your heart
be troubled ; ye believe in God, believe also in me."

The doctrine contained in the text may be thus briefly
stated : " Evangelical faith, or that faith which Christ re-
quires, is the sovereign remedy for heart-trcfubles."

In the discussion of this general proposition, let us con-
sider it under two heads, namely : The faith which is here
required; and this faith^ the sovereign remedy for the
troubles of the heart.

And here, brethren, let me remark to you, that if you
are not at present tried with any peculiar affliction, you
are liable to become so ; and therefore you are inter-
ested— all interested in the subject now presented to your
attention.

I. We propose to consider that important article, the
faith which is required or enjoined in the text. And at
once we see that this faith has for its object God as the
supreme source of being, and Jesus Christ as the Re-
deemer of men. " Ye believe in God, believe also in
me."

1. Its object is God, the self-existent Being ; the supreme
source of all created beings ; and, I may add, the fountain
of all fullness, the centre and circumference of all perfec-
tion. Now, faith in God, the great Eirst Cause, is justly con-
sidered as lying at the foundation of all religion, whether
natural or revealed. I am aware that some have made it
a question, whether the idea of God, or of a first cause,
could be originated in the mind of a mere child of nature ;
nay, that they have not merely made this a question^ but

6^^

130 THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES.

have taken" the negative^ and denied that fallen man, with-
out a revelation, or that tradition, which is the offspring
of revelation, would ever originate the idea ; and so they
would deny that in strict propriety there is any such thing
as natural religion. I shall not here attempt to settle tliis
question, nor is it material to our purpose. It is' agreed
on all hands, that when the idea of God, as the Creator or
First Cause, is once suggested to the inquiruig mind, come
from what soilrce it may, then the universe around stands
forth as the evidence of this great truth, and conviction
follows as the consequence. Faith, then, in the existence
of God, may be justly considered as the first link in the
chain of religious truth ; as first in the natural order ; or,
as before observed, as lying at the foundation of all reli-
gious belief. And with this agrees the testimony of the
Apostle : " He that cometh to God must believe that he
is," that he exists. The phrase, " He that cometh to
God," is expressive of religious exercise; and it follows
that in this case there must be faith in his existence.

The scriptural idea of God, involves in it all perfection
as to Himself — all fullness as to his creatures. If we can
have access to this fountain ; if we can be allowed to draw
from his fullness, we may find a supply in every case of
necessity. And hence the necessity, that in the initial
stage, in the first step of religion, we " believe in God ;"
believe in his existence, and in his ample fullness to meet
all our wants, to relieve all our woes.

Yes, my brethren, ay, and my fellow sinners all^ here is
a rich supply for all our needs. Are you guilty ? Here
is authority to pardon all transgression. Are you pollu-
ted with sin 1 Here is sanctifying influence, the source of
holiness. Do you feel your weakness ? He can " strengthen
you with might by his Spirit in the inner man. Are you

THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES. 131

" in heaviness through manifold temptation V He can
" make a way for your escape." And is your heart op-
pressed with grief? He is " the God of all consolation."

I have said, If we can have access to this fountain —
if we can be allowed to draw from his fullness. But now,
be it observed, that faith simply in the existence of the all-
sufficient God, does not present us with the way of access
to Him ; does not assure us that we are allowed to draw
from his fullness. Though necessary as the incipient stage
of religion, it does not suffioie for the desired object. God
is set before us ; but how shall we obtain free and favor-
able access to Him % We are brought to the vestibule of
the temple, but how shall we gain admittance 1 We are
in sight of " the fountain of living waters ;" but how shall
we draw the needed supply '? Thanks be to the God of all
grace ! Our text furnishes us with an answer to the
anxious inquiry : " Ye believe in God, believe also in
me." While faith in God presents before us an object all-
sufficient, faith in the Redeemer is the way whereby we
come to God and partake of his fullness. And so we
remark,

2. Tliat the object of this faith is not only God, as the
all-sufficient Being, but Jesus Christ, as the Redeemer of
sinners. It is through him that we become " reconciled
to God." Rom. v. 10. By him that " God hath recon-
ciled us to himself" 2 Cor. v. 18. And so, "by him
also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we
stand." Rom. v. 2. The ample supply, indeed, is
treasured up in him ; for in him are hid all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge ; Col. ii. 3. " In him dwelleth
all the fullness of the godhead bodily ; Col. ii. 9. And
" of his fullness have we all received, and grace for grace ;"
Johni. 16.

132 THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES.

And now, brethren, I trust you see the fitness of one part
of this divine prescription to the other ; the fitness of com-
bining these remedies to give tliem due effect : " believe
in God, believe also in me." While God stands before the
mind's eye in the fullness of his all-sufficiency, you see in
Him all that you can need, whatever your case may be.
But you see, at the same time, an awful moral distance
between this holy Being and your own sinful souls : " your
iniquities have separated between you and your God."
You see, indeed, in his holy iT^ture, a fearful hostility to all
that is sinful ; and well may you inquire, with anxious soli-
citude, how, O how, shall I find access to Him as a recon-
ciled God and Father ? Hark ! that voice ! Behold, Jesus
Christ comes forth to answer the inquiry ! He declares
himself " the way, the truth, and the life ;" he asserts the
gracious designs and the love of God ; and gives the evi-
dence in groans, and tears, and blood ! And thus, while
faith in God presents us with an assurance of his ability to
bless, faith in Jesus Christ presents an equal assurance that
He is willing as well as able. " Ye believe in God, be-
lieve also in me."

Before dismissing this part of our subject, it seems pro-
per I should remark, that faith is to be considered in re-
gard not only to its object, but to its quality. Considered
in this respect, let me ofter a reflection or two on this
important exercise of the soul.

That there is something more in evangelical faith than
mere abstract passive persuasion of the truth of the fact, is,
to my mind, as clear as anything that is revealed or re-
quired in the scriptures. Such an abstract persuasion,
such a passive admission of the truth, may exist without
any vital operation. And what is dead faith, but a faith
of that sorf? If then, it be asked, what more is necessary

THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES. 133

to evangelical faith — to a living faith in God — ^in Jesus
Christ 1 I answer, trust — confidence in the object is neces-
sary : a casting of the soul on him " who is able to save
to the uttermost all that come unto God by him." I know
in whom I have believed, or trusted, and I am persuaded
that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him.
2 Tim. i. 12. When the last idol is resigned, and every
dependence given up but Christ the Redeemer, the soul
being brought to rest on him alone, then is evangelical
faith seated in the heart ; and working by love, it becomes
a vital principle of holy action.

We come now to the other division of our subject ; and
here we are to consider,

II. That the faith here required is the sovereign remedy
for heart-troubles : " Let not your heart be troubled ; ye
believe in God, believe also in me."

But here I would caution you against a mistaken view
with respect to this point. Let it not be thought that we
are to consider faith in itself as possessing this virtue.
No, brethren; here, as in other cases, where the most
interesting and important results are ascribed to faith^ the
efficient cause is to be found ui the object, not in the act of
faith. It was thus with regard to the healing of bodily
diseases : " Thy faith hath made thee whole." And it is
thus with regard to spiritual healing : " Thy faith hath
saved thee ; go in peace." In all such cases, the result is
ascribed to faith as the instrument; and as, in that
cliaracter, taking hold on the object, and receiving and ap-
propriating the benefit : A wonderful instrument indeed is
faith ! capable of achieving wonders, through the efficacy
of the object on which it acts. In this sense, then, is this
faith to be considered, when we speak of it as a sovereign
remedy for the troubles of the heart.

134 THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES.

Well, brethren, we have our " songs in the house of our
pilgrimage," and here, too, we have our troubles ; for
" this is not our rest." And we are now to see how the
remedy provided by our heavenly Physician may be
brought to bear upon these afflictions. Under the first
head of our discourse, this view of the case has been in
some measure necessarily anticipated ; but we now assign
to it a more particular attention.

I am aware, brethren, how much easier it is, calmly to
present the remedy for the evils and afflictions of life, and
earnestly to press the advice that we should appropriate
and apply that remedy, than it is to put this advice into
actual practice for our o^vn benefit. But trusting m that
grace which can give effect to our feeble efforts — remem-
bering that we ought to " bear one another's burdens," and
having a common interest with you in this case, I am en-
couraged cheerfully to proceed with this part of my subject.

" Many are the afflictions of the righteous." Psalm
xxxiv. 19. To attempt an enumeration of them in de-
tail, would be a task which we cannot undertake, nor is it
necessary. There are classes of affliction which we shall
notice, including all the particular cases to which we may
be subject, (some of which we may specify,) and if the
remedy provided by infinite goodness should be found to
cover all these classes of human evil, then may we feel
assured that it is sufficient for all particular cases, whether
specified or not ; whether appertaining to mind or body ;
whether of a spiritual or an earthly character. Be not
discouraged. If " many are the afflictions of the righte-
ous," remember, " the Lord delivereth him out of them
all."

These classes of affliction may arise at different times,
fi'om different quarters, as the storm arises sometimes

THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES. 135

from one point of the horizon, and sometimes from
another. And I may add, that as in the case of a storm,
so here ; the clouds of trouble may gather from different
quarters at the same time, and meeting and mingling in
conflict, what a tempest thi'eatens the sufferer ! See Paul
"in heaviness through manifold temptations !" and hear the
old patriarch exclaim — " All these things are against me !"
Brethren, if amidst your trials you have been spared from
the severity of the tempest, you have reason to bless the
hand divine for milder dealings ; and if ever that should
be your lot, remember that He who " rides in the whirl-
wind" has promised, " as thy days, so shall thy strength
be." Deut. xxxiii. 25. Let us take a view of these
classes of affliction, and the fitness of the remedy pro-
vided by our gracious Redeemer.

1. There is a class of sore troubles arising from the
temptations with which we may be assailed. Name them
" legion, for they are many ;" and various are their cha-
racters, and the aspects which they assume. But thanks
to divine grace, he who expelled and controlled the legion
of demons, can strengthen us to bear the fiery trial, and
give us the victory over all temptations. What are the
characters of these troublers of our peace ? Some are
spiritual^ some Jleshly^ and some partake of a mingled
character. You may be assaulted with suggestions of
unbelief; with apprehensions that you are deceived in
your best hopes ; with legal and slavish fears that you
may miss at last of the blissful enjoyment of God's pre-
sence. And hence may be induced a despondent spirit —
a trouble of the heart, sad and grievous to be borne.
Again, you may experience enticements to an improper,
an unlawful indulgence of carnal appetite ; and sore may
be the conflict, when the " flesh lusteth against the Spirit."

In all these temptations — these troubles of the heart,

136 THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES.

you will need the prescription of the heavenly Physician,
" ye believe in God, believe also in me." And behold the
fitness of the prescription ! Remember, brethi-en, that as
faith in God presents the remedy in all its fullness and
sufficiency, so faith in Jesus Christ gives you access to
that remedy, and the privilege to take and apply it. And,
again, I say, behold the fitness of the prescription ! Con-
sider that in looking to our Redeemer for help, you look
to one who, " having himself suffered, being tempted, is
able to succour them that are tempted." Heb. ii. 18.

Does your trouble proceed from temptations of a spiri-
tual character, tending to distrust and despondency 1 Di-
rect your attention to the freeness of his grace. It is here
that you are to find relief Cease to pore over your own
unworthiness, to the discouragement of your spirit, and
listen to the gracious promise, " Him that cometh unto
me, I will in no wise cast out." John vi. 37. What a
promise ! Why not embrace it ? Over the head of all
your apprehensions, reach forth the hand of faith, and
take hold of the grace of the Father manifested in the
Son. O, that is a blessed resolution of afflicted Job :"
"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." Job
xiii. 15.

Are you troubled by a conflict with temptations ad-
dressed to " the desire of the flesh V Place before your
eyes the bright model of purity presented in the character
of our Redeemer ; and resolving to imitate that model,
take courage from the promise that " Sin shall not have
dominion over you ; for you are not under the law, but
under grace." Rom. vi. 14. But do you feel self-con-
demned, from a consciousness that you have in some
grievous measure fallen by the force of temptation 1 If
grieved, indeed, and penitent for the failure, let not your
heart yield to despondency : " If any man sin, we have

THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES. 137

an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 1
John V. 4. And still he says, " come ;" and still he pro-
mises, " Him that cometh I will in no wise cast out."
Surely, that is a precious remedy for heart-troubles arising
from temptation : " ye believe in God, believe also in me."

2. There is a class of troubles growing out of our con-
nection with the world; and the declaration of our Lord,
John xvi. 33, is still applicable : " Li the world ye shall
have tribulation ;" and still, too, is that encouraging word
of his applicable : " But be of good cheer ; I have over-
come the world." The world has its various aspects, as
well as the temptations of which we have taken a view.
It is itself, indeed, the fruitful occasion of temptations;
although, on account of its peculiar character and influ-
ence, we give it here a distinct place in the sources of the
Christian's troubles.

Yes, brethren, in a greater or less degree, accordmg as
circumstances may operate, the world in its different as-
pects will be found to be a source of trouble. Its blan-
dishments allure, its frowns discourage, and its smiles
deceive ; various objects of business tax the attention, and
cares of different sorts oppress the spirits. But, brethren,
our Captain having overcome the world, we, through him,
can conquer too ; and " This is the victory that overcometh
the world, even our faith." 1 John v. 4. " Let not your
heart be troubled ; ye believe in God, believe also in me."
The bright example which faith recognizes in him shall en-
courage your hearts, and that holy influence which faith
receives from him shall strengthen your hands.

3. Troubles often arise from afflicting providences. The
loss of dear friends and relatives ; the bodily pains and
sickness which you may experience ; the operation of ad-
verse circumstances, come from what quarter they may ;

138 THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES.

all these I class under the head of afflicting providences.
It seems to be too common a persuasion, that Divine Pro-
vidence has nothing to do with those cases of calamity
which are brought about by wicked agency. Permit me
to say, brethren, that he who cherishes this sentiment, not
only circumscribes the range of God's providential gov-
ernment, but so far deprives himself of that ground of re-
signation, and that support, which faith offers to him under
the pressure of any such calamity.

All things are in the hand of God. Accidents (so
called) are under his control and management, and even
those cases of calamity which are brought about by
wicked agency ; these, too, come within the range of his
all-pervading providence. " He worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will." Ephes. i. 11. For his
own wise purpose he permits the act of wickedness, and
by his wisdom and power he governs its operation. And
thus, while he holds the wicked agent accountable for his
wickedness, he brings to pass, through his criminal agency,
the counsel of his own will. " Surely, the wrath of man
shall praise thee ; the remainder of wrath shalt thou re-
strain." Ps. Ixxvi. 10. And thus, too, I may add,
while you or I justly complain of the injury at the hand
of the unrighteous man^ we submit to the hand of the all-
righteous God — considering the affliction as a dispensation
of his providence. Is there something here mysterious
and incomprehensible 1 Join with me, then, and with the
apostle, in the adoring exclamation, " O, the depth of the
riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! how
unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding
out !" Rom. xi. 33.

In regard to the dispensations of Divine Providence, of
every description of character, there is a lesson taught by

THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES. 139

an eminent teacher in the school of Christ, of deep
interest to every believer. Learn it, Christians — ^learn it
hy heart. Eom. viii. 28. " And we know that all things
work together for good to them that love God — to them who
are the called according to his purpose." Learn this lesson,
I say, hy heart ; and then you will be enabled to under-
stand that estimate of human affliction which an ajDostle
has made. 2 Cor. iv. 17. " Our light affliction, which
is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory."

It remains for us to direct our attention to an important
object, introduced by our Lord in close connection with
the text, and obviously designed to give the crowning
effect to the prescription which he has here given, as the
remedy for the troubles of the heart. I allude to that
blissful prospect opened before the disciples ; their final
resting-place and home in the future world : " In my Fa-
ther's house are many mansions ; if it were not so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also." To this prospect I made an allu-
sion in the introductory part of this discourse, as calcu-
lated to brighten the gloom of affliction. And surely,
brethren, the eye of faith cannot be raised towards such
a prospect, without receiving a cheering ray of light from
the throne of God.

Shall we undertake, by dressing it in pompous words,
to adorn this passage — this rich promise of our Saviour to
his disciples % 'Twould be " to varnish gold, or paint the
diamond." The mind cannot imagine anything more per-
fectly finished ; and it only requires that our attention
should be directed to it, in all its bearings, to see its
beauty, and to feel its influence.

140 THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES.

" 111 my Father's house are many mansions." " My
Father's housed How familiar the expression ! — ^like that
of a prince brought up in a palace, and undazzled by the
splendors of royalty ! " My Father'' s house." Then you
have an interest in it, for you belong to my family.
" Many mansions." Here you may be slighted, uninvited,
cast out, as unworthy of a place among the children of
this world ; but be of good cheer, there is room for you
in the mansions above. " If it were not so, I would have
told you ;" so that you should not be tantalized with the
vain hope of a place among the blessed, and then shut
out as unwelcome intruders. " I go to prepare a place for
you ;" to bespeak your future habitation, and see that all
is in readiness for your reception. " And if I go and pre-
pare a place for you, I will come again and receive you
unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
Count upon my return, as certainly as on my departure.
" That where I am, there ye may be also." Christians,
are you ready to say, Lord, it is enough ? Let me be
where Jesus is, and I shall be with God, who is the foun-
tain of bliss ; for " in his presence there is fullness of joy ;
at his right hand there are pleasures forevermore."
There the turmoil of life is hushed in perfect repose, and
peace and joy take place of sorrow and affliction. Where
is the believer who, in view of such a prospect, will not
subscribe to the apostle's estimate, (Rom. viii. 18.) " I
reckon, that the sufferings of tliis present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be re-
vealed in us."

Christians, I commit the subject to the blessing of God
and to your reflection. May you find, by happy experi-
ence, the efficacy of that remedy which our heavenly
Physician has provided for the troubles of the heart :

THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES. 141

" Believe in God, believe also in me." " Grace, mercy
and peace." Amen.

IN'oTE. — I wish to add here a few thoughts, in regard to the
supervision of Divine Providence, as noticed in this discourse,
in cases of injury in any form, perpetrated by the agency of
wicked men.

If we would rightly conceive of any such case, we must view
it under two diflferent aspects ; namely, as a wicked action on
the part of the agent ; and as a dispensation of Divine Provi-
dence. Viewed in the Hght first mentioned, we justly abhor
the deed and condemn the perpetrator : in the second point of
view, we bow to the Disposer of all events, and own the righte-
ousness of his all-pervading government.

But here it may be asked, if the case above mentioned be a
dispensation of Divine Providence, how can the agent be con-
sidered culpable, and subject to just condemnation? Or, (vice
versa.) if the agent be really criminal, how can such a case be
considered a dispensation of Divine Providence ?

In answer to these queries, and as something towards a solu-
tion of the difficulty, I offer the follovvdng remarks :

1. That in any such case, the agent acts freely, of his own
vohtion, without any constraint or impulse from God — being left
to the exercise of his own wicked disposition and design. (Jas.
i. 13.) And thus is he responsible and justly subject to con-
denmation. And,

2. God, the sovereign Ruler, removing those restraints which
might prove a hindrance, and so laying or ordering the train of
circumstances as to permit the perpetration of the deed — the
case thus becomes a dispensation of Divine Providence. And
thus we exhibit the twofold aspect of such a case, as before
mentioned.

The limits, however, of this permission on the part of Divine
Providence, are marked out by unerring wisdom, and guarded
by Almighty power. " Hitherto shalt thou come, but no fur-
ther," is spoken by the voice of Omnipotence, to the tm-bulent

142 THE REMEDY FOR HEART-TROUBLES.

passions of. wicked agents, as well as to the tumultuous ocean.
See this truth exemphfied in the case of Satan's power to afflict
God's servant Job ; and see, too, that expression of the Psalmist
verified: " Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee; the re-
mainder of Avrath shalt thou restrain."

It is in this view of Divine Providence, as I humbly conceive,
that God is said to do that which he has seen proper to permit,
having so ordered the train of circumstances, that it will cer-
tainly take place. Thus is it said, that " He hardened Pharoah's
heart:" Ex. vii. 13; while Pharaoh, more strictly speaking,
"hardened his [own] heart;" ch. viii. 15. So, also, David
says of Shimei, while ciu-sing the king : " Let him alone, and let
him curse ; for the Lord hath bidden him." 2. Sam. xvi. 11.
Examples to this effect abound in the scriptures. I add one
more, the case of the death of our Redeemer, Acts iv. 27, 28 :
"For, of a truth, against thy holy child Jesus," &c., they "were
gathered together, to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel
determined before to be done."

That there rests still an adorable darkness on that Hnk which
connects the purpose and providence of God with human free-
dom and accountability, is readily admitted : a darkness which
checks our presumption, and renders reverence more suitable
than speculation. " 0 the depth!"

Nor is this the only mysterious feature in the afflicting dispen-
sations of Divine Providence. Cases occur in which we may
inquire in vain, why should this be ? Why such a visitation, so
signally distressing, from the Divine hand ? The reason rests
with the great Sovereign ; and it is the proper office of faith, in
such a case, to refer the matter to Him, whose wisdom never
errs, whose goodness never fails.

(Cjirist nnJr {110 Jfiunl ITEiartis.

THE SUBSTANCE OF A SERMON PREACHED AT THE FUNERAL OF ELDER
LEWIS CHAUDOIN.

"John xi. 11. Our friend Lazarus sleepeth. ; "but I go that I may
awa^ke him. out of sleep.''

Our text, on this occasion, is a part of one of the most
interesting narratives in the New Testament : — the death
and resurrection of Lazarus. The account presents us
with a view of the common lot or destination of man : —
holding up the looking-glass of mortality — the gloomy
grave, and its death-bound inhabitant ! And, blessed be
God ! it presents us also with an exhibition of that power
which can conquer the power of death, and release the
prisoner from his grasp !

With this interesting narrative, it is hoped, you are all
familiarly acquainted. Lazarus, one of a pious little family,
all sharing in the special favor of Christ, had sickened and
died. " Death has passed upon all men, for that all have
sinned." It is the common lot of all, both the righteous
and the wicked ; but very different is the result ! " The
wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the righte-
ous hath hope in his death." When the message came to
Jesus, from the pious sisters of Lazarus — " Lord, he whom
thou lovest, is sick," he seems designedly to have delayed

144 CHRIST AND HIS FRIEND LAZARUS.

his visit. But there was a wise and gracious object in view :
the glory of God was thereby manifested, and the faith of
his disciples was increased. In the meantime the death of
Lazarus had taken place ; and that event is intimated to
the disciples in the figurative language of the text : " Our
friend Lazarus sleepeth ; but I go that I may awake him
out of sleep." In a brief discussion of the subject, let us
notice.

The appellation which our Lord bestows on Lazarus.

The manner in which he speaks of his death ; and

The blessed object of this visit.

I. The appellation here bestowed on the departed: —
" our friend Lazarus." The term here used is calculated
to suggest several interesting considerations.

1. The gracious and endearing condescension ofourLord^
in admitting sinners to the privilege of his friendship. We
count it in some cases a favor, an honor, to be taken into
the friendship of a fellow-mortal, a fellow-sinner. "What
a favor, what an honor must it be, to share in the friend-
ship of Jesus Christ ! If a prince should condescend to
bestow his special friendship on a poor peasant boy, how
great would such condescension be esteemed, in regard to
the prince ! how high the privilege conferred on the peasant !
By how much higher the one party than the other, by so
much greater the condescension and the favor bestowed.
But tliis case, what is it, compared mth the friendship of
the Prince of Glory for a dying sinner 1

" In vain might lofty mortals try
Such condescension to perform ;

For worm was never rais'd so high
Above his meanest fellow- worm !"

2. Every true believer is a friend to Christ. We are not

CHRIST AND HIS FRIEND LAZARUS. 145

naturally so ; not naturally the friends of Christ in his true
character. These friends of Christ have become so by-
virtue of an inward change. They have been convinced of
sin ; they have been brought to repentance ; they have
yielded their hearts to the Redeemer. They are friends
to Christ according to the scripture representation of him.
Friends to his perso7i, as divine and human ; friends to
him in his character, as the Redeemer of lost sinners;
friends to him in all his offices, as Prophet, Priest, and
King ; friends to his cause, and friends to all his com-
mandments : " Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I
command you."

3. The third term suggests a state of intimacy and com-
munion : and such is the privilege of the faithful. " I have
called you friends : for all things that I have heard of my
Father I have made known unto you." John xv. 15-
" The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and
he will show them his covenant." Psalms xxv. 14. Of
Enoch it is said, he " walked with God ; and he was not
for God took him." Gen. v. 24. And the beloved dis-
ciple declares , " Truly our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son Jesus Christ." 1 John i. 3.

4. The friends of Christ are, or certainly they should be,
the friends of one another. " Oz^r friend Lazarus." Christ
is the centre of the whole circle of the Christian family ;
the meeting point of all the lines from the circumference
to the centre ; and so the nearer we approach to him, the
nearer to one another. " If we walk in the light, as he is
in the light, we have fellowship one with another." So
testifies again the beloved disciple. 1 John i. 7. Think
of this. Christians, and cultivate the spirit of brotherly
affection.

5. We may remark, that death does not dissolve the

146 CHRIST AND HIS FRIEND LAZARUS.

bonds of this holy friendship between Jesus Christ and his
people. " Our /We/ic? Lazarus sleepethP Lazarus is dead :
but Christ is still his friend, and he and the living disciples
are the mutual friends of each other and of Christ. " The
whole family in heaven and on earth" are one.

" The saints on earth, and all the dead,

But one communion make :
All join in Christ, their hving Head,

And of his grace partake."

O ! it is a triumphant reflection, that Christ has formed a
bond of union which defies the power of death and hell !

II. The manner in which our Lord speaks of the death
of Lazarus : " Our friend Lazarus sleepethr

Sleep is a term frequently used in the Bible as expres-
sive of death. In the New Testament it seems to be ap-
plied peculiarly to the death of the saints. Thus the
apostle informs us, 1 Cor. xv. 51, " we shall not all sleep^
but we shall be changed," &c. And 1 Thes. iv. 14, " them
that slee'p in Jesus will God bring with him." And so in
the text : " Our friend Lazarus sleepeth^

The use of the term in this application of it, gives a
softening to the rugged features of death, and tends to
reconcile our feelings to the appointed lot of man. Yea, it
presents the object with an inviting aspect — a state of re-
pose for the weary pilgrim. There is a striking analogy,
which justifies the use of this term as a figure. The sleep
of death is a rest from the labors and fatigues of the day
of life : not, however, a mere insensible rest for the body,
but a conscious rest in the state of happy departed spirits.
The grave is the bed, which Jesus has consecrated for the
believer : in the morning, the bright morning of the resur-
rection, he shall arise ! — shall shake off the slumbers of

CHRIST AND HIS FRIEND LAZARUS. 147

death, and put on the garment of immortality ; " and so
shall forever be with the Lord!"

III. Lastly, we take a glance at the object or design of
our blessed Lord in this visit : " I go that I may awake
him out of sleep."

Remark the expression ! It denotes the ease with which
he feels conscious he can perform this stupendous miracle !
Yes, dear friends, with more ease can he who is "the
Resurrection and the Life," break up the iron sleep of
death, than you or I can arouse a friend from a common
slumber ! No miatter whether the spirit may have just
taken its flight from the body — as in the case of the
daughter of Jairus ; or, the corpse be on its way to the
grave — as in the case of the young man, son of the widow
of Nain; or, whether putrefaction may have begun its
horrid work — as here in the case of Lazarus ; no matter :
there is a power in the voice of him who "quickeneth
whomsoever he will," which meets, and neutralizes, and
overcomes all difficulty.

Now here was an awful crisis ! Place yourselves, my
friends, at the tomb of Lazarus. The stone is rolled away,
and the chamber of death is disclosed to view ! There lies
the shrouded corpse, wrapt in the mortal slumber ; while
the deep-sunken eyes, the mortal hue which is stamped on
the face, and the death-smell which rises from the tomb,
all give evidence that the body is hastening to decay.
How gloomy and hopeless the prospect ! But here stands,
in mild and solemn majesty, the Lord of Life. He ad-
dresses himself to the Almighty Father, and then he speaks
to the dead. He cries with a loud voice : " Lazarus, come
FORTH !" And behold, Lazarus starts into life ! He moves !
He rises ! The hue of death has fled from his face ! Health
mantles his checks, and animation sparkles in his eyes !

148 CHRIST AND HIS FRIEND LAZARUS.

He stands,, released from the grasp of death, redeemed
from the power of the grave ! " Loose him, and let
him go."

But why, it may here be asked, should Lazarus be raised
from the dead 1 w^hy brought back to sojourn again for a
season in this mortal state, this valley of tears ? We may
answer, to manifest the power of the Redeemer, to comfort
the hearts of his disconsolate sisters, and to exhibit a token
of the future resurrection of all God's people. He who
restored Lazarus to a state of mortal life, can cause " this
mortal to put on immortality ;" and his promise is pledged
for the glorious consummation. The rainbow of hope is
struck on the dark cloud of death ; it bestrides the graves
of all believers — the blessed token of an approaching
mornmg of cloudless light — a day of endless peace and

joy-
In conclusion, let me remind you, that our old brother
shall rise again. Humble and unpretending in his course,
his life was watched, and his death was marked by the
great Shepherd and Keeper of Grace. He was the friend
of Jesus. He now sleeps ; but the Redeemer comes to
awake liim out of sleep. And we, too, shall wake up
from the sleep of death. Let it be our chief concern,
dear friends, to decide the great question, shall we awake
to life and happiness *? or, will it be, to suffer the pains of
the second death 1 O ! that God may make us all wise
unto salvation ! that thus we may escape the fearful
doom, and share with all the redeemed in the blessedness
of the everlasting kingdom. Amen.

\t dDrigin; ^u, ml €ut nf Irriptttxie,

SKETCH OF A SERMON.

2 Tim. iii., 16, 17. "All Scripture is given ty inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness ; that the man of God may he per-
fect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

Let us notice the connection. A little before the words
of the text, the apostle exhorts his young pupil to a firm
adherence to the great truths which he had embraced in
his conversion to Christianity, reminding him of the
authentic source whence he had derived his knowledge of
these important facts, ver. 14 : " But continue thou in
the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured
of, kno^ving of whom thou hast learned them."

The gospel is not " the baseless fabric of a vision ;" its
claims upon our faith are capable of being satisfactorily
established.

Moreover, the apostle refers this young evangelist to the
fact, that his mind had been early imbued with a know-
ledge of the sacred writings ; the foundation of that faith
by which he had embraced the promised Saviour — ver. 15 :
" From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures,

150 THE ORIGIN, USE, AND END OF SCRIPTURE.

which are' able to make thee wise unto salvation, through
faith that is in Christ Jesus."

The Bible is the all-sufficient instrument of our salva-
tion, without popish tradition, without human additions of
any sort.

But observe, we are not thus made wise, even by this
source of wisdom, without " faith in Clirist Jesus." " To
him give all the prophets witness." He is the great gov-
ernmg object, the animating principle of the holy oracles,
the focal point whence the heavenly light radiates through
all the sacred pages — through all the departments of re-
ligion.

The text contains the ground or reason of what the
apostle had just advanced, and an amplification of the
same truth. He had said, " the Holy Scriptures are able
to make us wise unto salvation," &c. And whence shall
this be 1 Here is the ground of this proposition, which
at the same time expands the idea: "All scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable, for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness ;
that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished
unto all good works."

We have in the text —

The origin of scripture ;
The use of scripture ; and
The end or object of scripture.
These points constitute the division of the subject.

1. The origin of scripture: " All scripture is given by
inspiration of God."

It may be proper here to define two terms which are
used in the proposition — scripture and inspiration.

Scripture: litQYdiWj^wi'iting. But surely the apostle
does not mean, that all writings, of every description, are

THE ORIGIN, USE, AND END OF SCRIPTURE. 151

from the inspiration of God ! By no means. The term,
is to be understood emphatically, introducing what he calls,
ver. 15, " the Holy Scriptures." So the word " Bible"
signifies book ; but we understand it emphatically — the
book — the book of God, as distinguished from all other
books. By way of eminence, then, this volume is the Scrip-
ture ; this book is the Bible. And of these writings, of
this book, the apostle speaks, when he says, "All scripture
is given by inspiration of God."

Inspiration : — Strictly, the word signifies a breathing
into ; or, if you please, an in-breathing. It is capable of
several applications.

It may be applied to the communication of life and the
rational soul. " There is a spirit in man, and the inspira-
tion of the Almighty giveth him understanding." When
Adam was formed, it is said, " God breathed into his nos-
trils the breath of life, and he became a living soul."
This was a species of inspiration.

God first formed the body of man, with all its curious
and wonderful mechanism. There he stood, like the
statue from the chisel of the sculptor. But how shall
human art compare with this piece of divine workman-
ship 1 His external form moulded according to the pat-
tern of perfection — dust converted into flesh, and all the
apparatus of life prepared within. But the silence and
the stillness of death pervaded the system. No pulsation
in his heart — no motion in his lungs; his blood stands
still in its mazy channels ; the lifeless hue is on his face,
and his motionless eyes emit only the rays of reflected
light.*

* Some of these ideas, with respect to the formation of man,
have been suggested by a recollection of one of Dr. Rush's Lec-
tures on Physiology.

152 THE ORIGIN, USE, AND END OF SCRIPTURE.

" God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and
he became a living soul !" His lungs heave ; his blood
circulates ; his heart beats ; life mantles his cheeks, and
beams from his eyes. He looks up ; he looks abroad ; he
scans creation with his intelligent glance, and moves in
the majesty of his superior nature.

Perhaps I am digressing a little ; but indulge me.

And has he no soul ? Alas, for that vain philosophy
which makes man no more than flesh, and blood, and
bones ! Yes, the moral^ intelligent nature is linked with
the animal, and man becomes capable of recognizing his
Creator. " God breathed into him the breath of lives, (as
in the original,) and he became a living soul." I dwell not
here on this point, but will just remark, that this expres-
sion is applied in no instance to the case of the inferior
creatures.

The infusion of a gracious principle into the soul of
fallen man ; the hallowing in-breathings and influences of
the Holy Spirit, of which the Christian is the subject, may
also be considered as a species of inspiration. Neither of
these views, however, meets the application of the term
as used in the words of the text. By inspiration we are
here to understand, that extraordinary infusion of the
Divine Spirit, which dictated to the mind of the subject
the will of God, and rendered him the instrument of cor-
rectly revealing or publishing that will.

Now, in this sense, " all scripture, {Holy Scripture,) is
given by inspiration of God." As, when professing to
make known the divine will, " holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost," so also they re-
corded according to the dictates of the same Spirit.

I enter here on no labored arguments in proof of the
proposition. It is beside my present purpose, and, indeed,

THE ORIGIN, USE, AND END OF SCRIPTURE. 153

I do not deem it necessary. My object is, to bring this
truth before your minds, and to improve the subject con-
nected with it. Nevertheless, permit me briefly to notice
some of the sources of evidence in support of this impor-
tant proposition.

Prophecies. — ^The fulfilment of Old Testament prophe-
cies in the New Testament history.

The fulfilment of New Testament prophecies in the facts
which have been developed in human history.

The accomplishment of events throws a light on the
obscurity of prophecy. Matt. xiii. 16, 17. " Blessed are
your eyes, for they see," &c.

Miracles. — ^Well attested by the best moral evidence.

As divine interpositions, they are Heaven's broad seal
set to the truth of the claims and declarations of those
who perform them.

The divine character stamped on the scriptures.

" Whose image and superscription is this V The re-
flection of the divine character is here beheld ; the voice
of God himself is heard from these sacred oracles.

The fitness of the scriptures to the character, condition,
and needs of guilty, sinful man, and the power with
which they make their appeal to the understanding, the
conscience, and the heart.

" The word of God is quick and powerful," &c. The
sinner hears, and feels, and from the inmost chambers of
his soul echoes back the truth.

On the influence of that holy religion which lives in
these sacred pages, take a quotation from a late writer :

'' How many thousands have felt its power, rejoiced in its
benign" influence, and under its dictates been constrained to de-
vote themselves to the glory and praise of God! Burdened
with guilt, incapable of finding relief from human resources,

154 THE ORIGIN, USE, AND END OF SCRIPTURE.

the mind has here found peace unspeakable, in beholding that
sacriiSce which alone could atone for transgression. Here the
hard and impenitent heart has been softened, the impetuous
passions restrained, the ferocious temper subdued, powerful pre-
judices conquered, ignorance dispelled, and the obstacles to real
happiness removed. Here the Christian, looking round on the
glories and blandishments of this world, has been enabled with
a noble contempt to despise all. Here death itself, the king of
terrors, has lost his sting ; and the soul, with a holy fortitude,
has been borne up in the agonies of a dying hour, and sweetly
sung itself away to everlasting bliss."*

We come to consider,

n. The use of scripture. " Profitable for doctrme, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

How happily adapted are the provisions of the sacred
scriptures to our spiritual needs ! Tliis is one of the dis-
tinguishing excellencies of the Bible, and the remark is
strikingly exemplified in this part of our subject.

What, my brethren, are our spiritual needs ?

Our darkened understandings need to be informed as to
the great truths of religion. Our slumbering consciences
need to be awakened. Our erroneous views and feelings,
with respect to divine things, need to be corrected, and
our ignorant minds need instruction in practical righteous-
ness. Behold the rich supply. Here is the doctrine of
heavenly truth, to inform the understanding : reproof, to
awaken the conscience ; correction of the fatal errors in
which the soul is bewildered ; and instruction in righteous-
ness for every one who would know and do the will of
God.

We might here review these several points in detail —
might present to your view some of the great things

* Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Art. " Christianity."

THE ORIGIN, USE, AND END OF SCRIPTURE. 155

brought to light by the doctrine of divine revelation ;
might show how the conscience is accused by reproofs of
the word of God ; what dangerous errors of the soul are
corrected by "the truth as it is in Jesus;" and might
dwell on that practical righteousness in which we are in-
structed in the lessons of inspiration. Each of these
points would furnish an important topic for discussion ; but
time would fail, and I shall add only a few general re-
marks.

The Holy Scriptures, taken throughout, furnish a sys-
tem of religion, complete in all its parts, doctrinal, experi-
mental, practical ; to instruct the mind, to affect the heart,
to form the life. A system, indeed, which is not formally
laid down in separate and detached parts, but often
blended in its various characters, to let us see that there
is a dependence ; ay, a union of the different departments
of religion, and that we are not to take one character to
the exclusion of another ; that we are not to put asunder
what God has joined together. Blended, yes, beautifully
blended, like the colors of the rainbow, softened into each
other; and, like that, too, the token of God's covenant
of mercy, spanning the gloomy cloud of human nature,
and standing as the pledge that the flood of wrath is for
ever gone.

Brethren, our religion must not occupy a particular part
only ; must not be all in the under sta7iding, nor aM in
the affections, nor all in the actions ; but throughout and
in all its operations must it exist ; and the Holy Scrip-
tures have furnished you accordingly with " doctrine, re-
proof, correction, and instruction in righteousness." And
this brings us to notice,

III. The end or object of scripture : " That the man of

156 THE ORIGIN, USE, AND END OF SCRIPTURE.

God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good
works."

An important and desirable object, surely, is here pro-
posed for attainment. To be a " man of God," is the
first object we present to your attention. But we must
not stop here ; the apostle does not stop here. We see
before us a field of indefinite extent, which none of us,
perhaps, have fully occupied. Christians, let us not rest
satisfied with the little attainments we may have made ;
let us aim, with unyielding, persevering eflbrt, at all that
lies within the range of Christian attainment. " That the
man of God may be perfect^ thoroughly furnished unto all
good works."

The idea of Christian ^^e?/(?c/{o7i aj^pears to be pre-
sented in the sacred scriptures in different lights, according
to the connection in which it stands.

There is an absolute perfection, wliich believers have in
Christ, (as being represented by him,) so far as to be
"justified from all things," and " accepted in the beloved."
" And ye are complete in him, who is the head of all
principalit}^ and power." Col. ii. 10.

There is an absolute personal perfection, the inheritance
of believers in the resurrection state. The present at-
tainment of such a perfection, Paul disclaims. Phil. iii.
12. " Not as though I had already attained, either were
already perfect;" see ver. 11. Lift up your hands, be-
lievers, and look forward to that glorious state.

There is a state which we may term comparative perfec-
tion— a, state in which the character may be considered
perfect, as compared, not only with unconverted persons,
but with many who profess religion, and who may be real
believers. In this state, Paul seems to be willing to

THE ORIGIN, USE, AND END OF SCRIPTURE. 157

reckon himself and others, while he disclaims, for the pre-
sent, that absolute personal perfection which belongs to
the immortal state. Just after this disavowal, he says,
(ver. 15,) " Let us, therefore, as many as be 'perfect^ be
thus minded."

This we may consider as the evangelical or gospel per-
fection ; as that which is alluded to in the text, and pressed
upon us in other parts of the sacred writings, as being re-
quisite to the completion of the Christian character. It
appears to consist in a vigorous pursuit of every Christian
attainment ; in a sincere desire to know and to do the
will of God, and to possess and enjoy all the privileges
which appertain to the Christian life. See Phil. iii. 14, 15 ;
Col. iv. 12 ; James i. 4.

The Christian character may be likened to the human
system ; perfect when none of its parts are wanting, and
all in due proportion.

" That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly fur-
nished unto all good works." The latter clause seems to
be explanatory of the former ; his perfection consists in
his being " thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

And Holy Scripture is the chief instrument in effecting
this desirable object ; it is profitable for the several pur-
poses mentioned, " that the man of God may be per-
fect," &c.

Consider " the man of God," as the minister of the gos-
pel ; that he should be well furnished with a knowledge of
the sacred volume, is absolutely requisite to the perfection
of his character.

The physician^ whatever may be his knowledge of lan-
guage, of history, of science in general, is 'radically de-
fective without a thorough knowledge of the science of
medicine. So with regard to the preacher. Become ac-

158

THE ORIGIN, USE, AND END OF SCRIPTURE.

quainted, by all means, with these various branches of
knowledge, if you can ; they are capable of being used to
good account ; but, brethren in the ministry, let us by no
means neglect a knowledge of the Bible. The preacher,
without this, is the officer without his sword. See, I be-
seech you, • that every one of you have his " Jerusalem
blade" ready at command ; " every man with his sword
upon his thigh, because of fear in the night." Song Sol.
iii. 8.

Consider " the man of God" as the Christian ; this hea-
veJ^y furniture is all-important to his prosperity in the
divine life. The word of God is his guard agamst error ;
his directory in the way to Zion ; the staff to support his
steps ; his armor in the spiritual warfare ; and the source
of practical knowledge, whence he is " furnished unto all
good works."

" All good works :" Not partial^ but universal obedi-
ence. All that is required, in all the relations of life.

Make some application. The divine origin of the Holy
Scriptures gives them a claim to our deepest attention.
Hark ! the Lord God speaks to us ! Who shall not hear,
and believe, and obey 1 Sinners ! at the peril of your
souls, you turn a deaf ear to the message. Believers,
you admit the obligation to attend. Be ever ready to say :
" Lord, what wilt thou have me to do 1"

Let the divine excellency of these sacred writings, both
as to their use and their object, induce us to store our
minds with these blessed truths, and have our hearts im-
bued with their heavenly spirit. " Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly." Thus, brethren, shall we be " tho-
roughly furnished unto all good works."

Then, indeed, is the bow of promise stamped upon our
nnture, in all its heavenly dyes ; and, instead of the pris-

THE ORIGIN, USE, AND END OF SCRIPTURE. 159

matic colors, painted by the sunbeams, behold the richer
coloring of all the Christian graces, painted in sweetest
harmony, by the beams of the " Sun of righteousness !"

Lastly — If the origin of scripture be divine ; if its use
be so excellent, and its object so important ; in a word, if
the Holy Scriptures be the only source of the knowledge
of salvation, and the great instrument in preparing man
for eternal felicity, shall we not use our efforts to send
this heavenly lamp into the shades of moral darkness —
this " word of life" to them that sit in " the region and
shadow of death V O ! let every heart feel the heavenly
sympathy, the holy impulse.

" Salvation, 0 salvation !

The joyful sound proclaim,
Till earth's remotest nation

Has learn' d Messiah's name."

" And then let the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen, and Atnen !"

€llB SKhsieIi's inmitrintr.

THE SUBSTANCE OF A DISCOURSE, DELIVERED BEFORE THE DOVER
ASSOCIATION^ AT THE SESSION OF 1841.

[Published by request of the Association,]

" Ask of rae, and I shall give thee tlie heathen for thine inheri-
tance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."
— Psalm ii. 8.

The psalm, of which our text is a part, is a peculiarly-
beautiful and instructive composition. It may be con-
sidered as consisting of three parts. The first part extends
from verse one to verse six ; in which the psalmist, m his
prophetic character, is the speaker. It presents a view of
the wicked and malicious combination of rulers and people
— Jews and Gentiles — against God and his Messiah ; and
shows how the efforts of these enemies will be baffled.
" Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain
thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the
rulers take counsel together," &c.

In the second part, extending from verse seven to verse
nine, the Son (Messiah) is introduced, asserting his rights
in virtue of his SonshijD, and mediatorial office, and the
grant made to him by the eternal Father. " I will declare
the decree : the Lord hath said unto me. Thou art my
Son," &c.

In the third part, which includes the residue of the psalm,

161

from verse ten to the end, the psalmist resumes- — becomes
the speaker in his own person, and closes the subject with
solemn advice — with an awful warning to the opposers of
God and his anointed Son, and a benediction on those who
repose their confidence in him, the King in Zion. Such
appears to me to be an outline of the subject, the general
character of the composition before us.

In regard to the method to be pursued in this discourse,
I propose to review the fore part of the psalm ; then, to
attempt a brief discussion of the text, and to make some
use of the latter part by way of application. So, you per-
ceive, my hearers, that this humble effort promises to wear
the character of a lecture, rather than that of a for-
mal sermon, according to the rules and methods of ser-
monizing.

" Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a
vain thing V What reason is there for this course 1 None !
It is most unreasonable. Or what ground to hope for siic-
cess ? None ! It is vain, and worse than vain.

" The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers
take counsel together against the Lord, and against his
anointed." We have the united authority of the apostles
for applying this passage to the wicked combination of
Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Komans and people of
Israel, against the Lord and against his Christ. See Acts
iv. 25, 28. Christy here, is identical with Anointed^ in the
psalm : one being rendered from the Hebrew, the other
from the Greek. The Lord's Christ — i\iQ l^oid^s Anointed:
kings were anointed with oil ; but the King m Zion, with
the Holy Spirit, without measure.

But what is the aim of these conspirators ? what do they
say 1 " Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away
their cords from us." They are aiming to disannul the

162

bands of Divine authority, and the cords of moral obliga-
tion ; to free themselves from restraint ; to frustrate the
purpose of God, and stop the progress of his kingdom. —
Opposers of the gospel act now in the same spirit : they
will not exchange the galling fetters of sin and guilt, in
which they are bound, for the blessed bands of love and
grace in the hands of the Redeemer.

And shall these conspirators against the dominion of
Heaven succeed in their attempt ? Hark, now ! — you shall
hear. " He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh : the
Lord shall have them in derision !" They are treated witL
majestic mockery, with sublime burlesque ! " He' that
sitteth in the heavens." Ay, and there is no need of his
rising from his seat to quell this opposition, to crush these
puny efforts. Firmly seated on his throne, he laughs to
scorn their mad and vain attempts.

But it were well for these enemies of God and his Mes-
siah, if mockery and burlesque were all with which they
shall be treated. Oh ! there is a fearful after-piece to be
enacted. " Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath,
and vex them in his sore displeasure." O ye opposers of
the truth, ye m.ust be bound in some way ; either by the
blessed bands of heavenly grace, or with the iron chains of
eternal justice ! Which will you choose ? There is no
other alternative ; no hope in attempting to escape or to
oppose. For it follows, in a quotation from the mouth of
the great Sovereign liimself : — " Yet have I set my King
upon my holy hill of Zion." So, then, while his enemies
are crushed, the King Messiah maintains his throne un-
moved. All opposition from the days of Herod and
Pontius Pilate down to the present time has proved abor-
tive, and so it will prove. Philosophers, grave and stately,
like Shaftesbury and Bolingbroke ; or, subtle and insinuating,

THE Messiah's dominion". 163

like Hume and Gibbon ; witty, sarcastic grinners, like
Voltaire; shrewd blackguards, like Tom Paine ; fine-spoken
sophists, like Volney ; and downright avowed libertines,
like the two Owens, and Frances Wright ; all in turn have
come forward, saying, " Let us break their bands asunder,
and cast away their cords from us." All in vain ! The
moon, as Henry remarks, continues to walk in brightness,
though the dogs bark at it.

Various have been the modes in which infidelity has
arrayed itself against the gospel of Christ. Science has
been invoked to lend its aid against the Bible. Astronomy,
in the hands of infidelity, has been sent forth, to travel the
fields of space and measure the heavens, in order to bring
back some report unfavorable to the Bible-record of the
creation and the gospel doctrine of the redemption of man.
But Astronomy has shaken her star-crowned head, and
refused to testify against us. Then, the discoveries in
geology have been appealed to, in order to make it appear
that the world is older, by some thousands of years, than
the age allowed to it according to the chronology of the
Bible. But farther investigation, and a more correct under-
standing of matters, have served to dispel the threatening
cloud. Ay, my friends, and science itself is bringing in
its verdict in favor of our cause. Infidelity has gone
through its various methods of attack, and has been de-
feated ; has rallied again, and again been defeated :

" The infidel has shot his bolts away,
'Till his exhausted quiver yielding none,
He gleans the blunted shafts that have recoird,
And aims them at the shield of truth again."

COWPER.

Yes, my friends, and these shafts, re-sharpened, we shall
bring to bear on the enemy with redoubled force. Balaam's

164 THE Messiah's dominion.

meditated curses against Israel were converted into pro-
phetic blessings ; and the researches and discoveries of
some of these infidels are now being brought forward in
confirmation of Bible-truth ! " Hallelujah ! for the Lord
God Omnipotent reigneth."

Now comes the speech of Messiah : — keep silence and
hearken ! " I will declare the decree : the Lord hath said
unto me, Thou art my Son ; this day have I begotten thee."
He is therefore the legitimate heir to the cro^vn of the
universe. " Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen
for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth
for thy possession."

We have now arrived at the text, of which a brief dis-
cussion is proposed.

I. Let us give some attention to the grant here made —
the inheritance given, to the King Messiah.

There is a view, frequently held out, as to the futurity
of this gift, which seems to be a mistaken one. I allude
to an impression that this promise has not as yet been
performed, because the world is not yet converted to Christ.
It ought, however, to be observed, that the grant here made
is not confined to the subject of grace: rebellious opposers
are included in it, even those (verse 9) whom he will
" dash in pieces like a potter's vessel." The world has long
since been committed to the Messiah's sway, according to
John.xvii. 2: "As thou hast given him power over all
flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou
hast given him."

The Son, considered as God^ had a natural, indefeasible
right to the world ; for to him, as well as to the Father,
creation is ascribed. Heb. i. 2, 10. But as God-man,
Messiah, it was a grant to him ; and he took open posses-
sion, and entered on the administration of liis universal

THE Messiah's dominion. 165

government, when " he ascended on high, leading captivity
captive." Before this, his mediatorial administration was
limited chiefly to the nation of Israel— ?^ow; it was to go
forth over the world : " Ask of me, and I shall give thee
the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts
of the earth for thy possession." The decree has gone
forth, that to him " every knee shall bow, and every tongue
confess ;" and either in the way of grace or of vengeance,
the world shall be subjected to Jesus Christ, Hence the
broad commission : — " Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be
damned." Mark xvi. 15, 16.

It is true, however, that as yet, the world is not openly
under the Messiah's government. The gospel has not yet
spread its light over the whole earth ; much less have the
nations yet been won over to obedience. Here, then, is
room, ample room, for prayer and for effort. " The world
lieth in wickedness." Vast regions of our globe, save
where a lamp glimmers here and there, in the hand of a
missionary, are yet buried in " darkness and the shadow
of death." But wherever the standard of the cross is
planted, there the country is claimed in the name of the
King Messiah. And this indeed is a legitimate claim ; — a
claim in virtue of the charter w^iich Jehovah has granted
to his anointed Son. It is not a claim, however, like that
of the Catholic Spaniards to the country of Mexico ; who,
while they bore the cross in one hand, wielded, in the other,
the sword bathed in blood ! Not like the claim of the
Un-Holiness, the Pope of Rome, who, while he professes to
be the Vicar on earth of the meek and merciful Redeemer,
claims temjjoral dominion as well as spiritual dictation ;
puts his foot on the neck of kings, and arms himself with

166 THE MESSIAH'S DOMINION.

the infernal tortures of the inquisition, to compel heretics
and infidels to submission ! O ! where stay the thunders of
the insulted King in Zion, that they do not yet burst on
the impious head of the usurper !

No, my hearers : it is not thus that the friends of the
Redeemer establish his claim. " The weapons of our war-
fare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling
dow^n of strongholds." There is, however, a warfare, and
the nations of the earth are to be won from the prince of
darkness — to be conquered " to the obedience of faith."
And this brings us to consider another point, which is,

11. How this conquest is to be effected.

It is indeed by war that this object is to be gained : but
it is the war of truth against error — of religion against
wickedness ; " the good fight of faith," in the cause of
heaven against the powers of hell."

Christ is the Captain-General. See Eev. xix. 11, 14,
where he goes forth on a white horse, glorious in majesty ;
his eyes like a flame of fire ; his head decked with many
crowns ; and clothed with a vesture dipped in blood ; while
the armies of heaven follow him on white horses, clothed
in fine linen, white and clean. What sublime imagery !
We cannot now dw^ell on it; but look, I beseech you,
at the great Captain ! — would you not think he was
mounted on Job's war-horse % " His neck is clothed with
thunder : he mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted, neither
turneth he back upon the sword : he saith among the
trumpets, Ha ! ha ! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the
thunder of the captains and the shouting." And look at
the armies ! — what an array ! " The armies in heaven
followed him," &c. Heaven^ here, is the church-militant
on earth. And w^ho compose the armies 1 All his people.
O ! what an honor to follow such a leader ! Yes ; all his

THE Messiah's dominion, 167

people. " This honor have all his saints." Ministers, if you
please, are officers ; but they are not the body of the army.
Be it observed, then, that all God's people — all Christ's
followers — are to be engaged, in some way, in his service.
" Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price,"
and you and yours are claimed by your Master. Your
prayers are called for ; your hearts, your tongues, and your
hands ; your time, your talents, and your money ; all that
you are, and all that you have, are his ; and every way
you ought to be ready, as you can, to aid the cause of your
Captain, the cause which you have espoused.

To sustain this point, the necessity, I mean, of aiding in
the heavenly cause, I take occasion to remark, that God, in
carrying on his work, makes use of human instrumentality
and divine agency. The word of truth is an instrument :
it is " the sword of the Spirit." Men are instruments.
" Who is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by
whom ye believed V But God is the great Agent : " I have
planted ; Apollos watered ; but God gave the mcrease."
Now the separating of these two tilings, human instru-
mentality and divine agency, may do, and often has done,
much injury to the cause of truth. By denying the latter,
you rob God of the glory due to his grace; by rejecting
thQ former, you furnish a plea for idle presumption. It is
God's method to make use of instrumentality ; and, hence,
the expression, which to the ears of some may seem
strange — the expression of " coining up to the help of the
Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty." And
who, brethren, would not wish to share in the blessed
work 1 What heart so indifferent as not to desire the
approving voice of the " Captain of our salvation f

I come now to remark,

III. Tliat the kingdom of the Anointed One, in its open

168 THE Messiah's dominion.

and acknowledged administration^ is destined to be univer-
sal. So that we may observe, though the grant has been
actually made, and the world long since has been officially
and formally committed to the administration of the King
Messiah, there is yet 2i futurity of a glorious character in
reserve for this kingdom.

Our proposition is this : that the gospel is destined to
prevail throughout the earth, and that the world in general
is to become subject to the sceptre of redeeming mercy.
I shall not at present attempt anything like an elaborate
defence of this proposition : a glance at the evidence in
favor of this cheering prospect is all that I design.

And first, what shall we say of that prospect, opened before
us by the evangelical prophet % Isa. ii. 4. " And he shall
judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people ;
and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and
their spears into pruning-hooks : nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any
m.ore." Or, that prophetic announcement, ch. xi. 9,
" They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy moun-
tain : for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the
Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Or, that bright vision
in the 60th chapter throughout, which we cannot now lay
before you. What shall we say to these things % With-
out assuming the position, that all the world individually
will be converted, are we not authorized to believe, from
such prophetic declarations as these, that there is in reserve,
a diffusion of the gospel, and an influence from religion,
beyond whatever the world has witnessed 1

Do you ask farther evidence 1 Turn we then to the 72d
psalm, where it is admitted that Christ is referred to, under
the figure of Solomon, " the king's son," and let us quote
a few short passages. Verse 8. " He shall have dominion

THE MESSIAH S DOMINION. 169

from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the
earth." Verse 11:" Yea, all Idngs shall fall down before
him : all nations shall serve him." And verse 17 : " His
name shall endure forever ; his name shall continue as
long as the sun ; and men shall be blest in him ; all nations
shall call him blessed."

And, to close, for the present, this series of prophetic
testimony, see Dan. ii. 31, 45. We cannot now lay be-
fore you this remarkable vision in detail. There is " the
great image," composed of multifarious materials, repre-
senting the four great monarchies : the Chaldean, the
Medo-Persian, the Grecian, and the Roman. And there,
forming a strange contrast, is " the stone cut out of the
mountains without hands," which smote upon the feet of
the image, so that the whole mighty mass came down in
ruins ; and all was broken to pieces : the iron and clay,
the brass, the silver and the gold, and became as the chaff
of the summer threshing floors." I am sure you anticipate
the application. " In the days of these kings shall the
God of Heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be
destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other
people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." You need not be
told that this is the kingdom of Christ.

"What a glorious prospect, through the vista of time, is
presented to the eye of faith! And the openings of
Divine Providence appear to be furnishing glimpses of the
road leading to this desirable consummation. " Coming
events cast their shadows before them :" and among other
things that might be mentioned, I cannot omit to remind
you of the wonderful facilities which have been introduced,
for intercourse between the different and distant regions
of the earth. Human inventions are but component parts

170 THE Messiah's dominion.

in the machineiy of Providence ; and surely there is, in
these facilities, a higher and a nobler destination in view,
than the mere advantages of commerce, and the temporal
improvements of the human family.

Let me add here a notice of a late suggestion, within a
few years at least, for a "congress of nations," for the
purpose of forming a grand court, to take cognizance of
all national differences, with a view to establish the peace
of the world. Such an object commends itself to the
philanthropist, and deserves the attention of the most
illustrious monarchs and statesmen of whom the world
can boast.

At any rate, however, the blessed period to which we
have alluded, appears to be promised ; and God's promise
is a ground of confidence for faith to rest on. What
though at present ambition reigns, and the kings of the
earth " cry, havoc t and let slip the dogs of war !" — the time
is approaching when the scene will be changed — when the
sword of the conqueror, broken into fragments, shall glitter
in the sand ; no more to be gathered up, unless it be to
point the plough-share, or to fomi the peaceful pruning-
hook.

I proposed to close with some application, grounded on
the latter part of the psalm ; but my limits allow the ex-
pression of only a few thoughts more. " Be wise now,
therefore, O ye kings ; be instructed, ye judges of the
earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice vdth trem-
bling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from
the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed
are all they that put their trust in him." Such is the
solemn application of the whole subject, by the psalmist
himself Let us, dear friends, indulge in one or two re-
flections.

THE MESSIAH S DOMINION. 171

1. The 'power with which God's anointed One is clothed
will be dreadful to his enemies — his rebel subjects. " Thou
shalt break them with a rod of iron ; thou shalt dash
them in pieces, like a potter's vessel." O ! if you do not
bow to the sceptre of his grace, you must be crushed with
the rod of his vengeance ! Kings and judges of the earth
have nothing to hope from their power and dignity ; they
are admonished, and through them all are admonished, to
cease from rebellion, and cordially to embrace the Son as
the Saviour of sinners, and King in Zion. Wisdom dic-
tates this measure, " lest ye perish from the way, when
his wrath is kindled but a little." O ! be wise, dear
friends : " be mse to-day ; 'tis madness to defer." De-
clare allegiance to this heavenly King, and share in the
blessedness of his willing subjects.

2. This same power with which the anointed One is
clothed, speaks forth the favored'lot of his people : " Blessed
are all they that put their trust in Him." That hand
which formed the world — which sways the sceptre of uni-
versal dominion, will defend and save them. Christian
brethren, your lot is surely a favored one ! May you
ever prize the blessed privilege of being the subjects of
Zion's King ! May we all approve ourselves his faithful
subjects now, and hereafter unite with the general assem-
bly above, to " crown him Lord of all."

NOTES

AND

ORIGINAL REMARKS*

Admonitions and Hints for Myself. — 1. Endeavor to
be spiritually-minded ; this will naturally spiritualize your
conversation and conduct, and so will be calculated to
spread the savor of divine grace.

2. Labor after a golden medium between the extremes
of levity and sourness, of carnality and gloominess. Too
much mirth will disqualify the mind for the exercises of
religion, and give loose to the reins of levity in others ;
and too much austerity will render the aspect of religion
unpleasant. Maintain, therefore, a cheerful gravity, and a
grave cheerfulness.

# The " remarks" found in this portion of the work, and most
of the "Notes on Select Texts of Scripture," were written and al-
phabetically arranged by the author, (with no view to publication,
however,) about the year 1809. Some notes of a more recent date
have been added under their respective heads ; it seemed desira-
ble, on some accounts, that Mr. Broaddus's notes should have ap-
peared in chronological order. On the whole, however, the arrange-

174 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

3. Be not averse to join for a season in innocent con-
versation, thongh it be not on the subject of religion ; but
beware you run not to an extreme. Be not fond of
a jest, and refrain from saying what you fear you may
repent of

4. At proper seasons drop a word for God ; make obser-
vations of a reb'gious kind.

These lessons must be learned by watchfulness, dili-
gence, and fervent supplication to the throne of Grace.

All and in All — Christ — Col. iii. 10. — That is, he is
the soul or spirit, the chief, the sum and substance ; in
everything : " all in all.'''' The knowledge of Christ in-
volves the knowledge of God. " He that hath seen me
hath seen the Father :" Christ is all in the prophecies.
Eev. xix. 10. And when we find the prophets filled with
unusual ardor, Christ is there. Christ is all in all in the
scripture institutions ; the types of the Old Testament,
and the ordinances of the New.

Christ is all in the hearts of all his people ; filled
Abraham's heart with joy ; caused Moses to despise the
treasures in Egypt ; and made David's tongue as the pen
of a ready writer. Filled old Simeon with divine rap-
ture ; drew the hearts of disciples to follow him when on
earth, and now he is in heaven. Are we called in the
gospel 1 It is to come to Christ, and to follow him. Are
we to set our affections on things above % It is because
Christ is there, &c. &c.

ment of the author appeared the best, and this has been accord-
ingly adopted. The title of this portion of the work is an exact
transcript of the title page of the manuscript volume, whence most of
its contents are drawn, except that the " select observations from
different authors," found in the original manuscript, are rejected
here in the title page, and in the body of the work. — Ed.

select texts of the holy scriptures. 175

Apostrophe and Personification — Animated Figures
IN Preaching — Example. — O grizzly King of Terrors !
hadst thou ever before such a subject as the Eedeemer ?
O darksome prison of the grave ! did thy walls ever be-
fore contain such an illustrious captive'? But short, O
grim tyrant, was thy reign ! Transient, O gloomy prison,
was thy triumph ! The Eedeemer rose ! The mighty
Conqueror broke the sceptre of death ! The illustrious
prisoner burst the barriers of the jail, and came forth !

Armor — Saul's — Was laid aside by David when going to
meet the giant in combat. Instead thereof he chose a
few smooth stones from the brook. The combatant in
the cause of Christ will not depend on armor of men's
providing. Philosophy, rhetoric, and learning, will be
laid aside in point of dependence, and he will choose the
plain and simple arguments which are drawn from the
clear brook of divine revelation. Yet he may make use
of human reason in a kind of subordinate way, as David
cut off Goliah's head with the giant's own sword.

Accusations of the Wicked against the Righteous —
Shaped to the Occasion. — When our Lord was accused
before Caiaphas, the High Priest, blasphemy was the
charge ; but when he was brought before Pilate, the Ro-
man Governor, who, like Gallic, would care for none of
these things, he was accused of sedition and treason : " We
found this fellow perverting the nations, and forbidding to
give tribute to- Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ, a
king."

Balm of Gilead. — "/s there no balm in Gilead? Is
there no physician there : Why then is not the health of
the daughter of my p)eople recovered? Jer. viii. 22.

176 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

The desolation and destruction of the city and nation,
painted in this chapter in dark and dismal colors. Notice
the sympathy of the prophet with his people on account
of their grievous calamities, ver. 18, to the end. The
darkness of despair seems to have gathered over his
spirit, ver. 21. Yet there is ground of hope, as far as the
means of recovery are concerned — " Is there no balm in
Gilead f &c. The primary allusion here is to the Jewish
nation. We shall accommodate the subject to objects of a
moral and spiritual character, considering such an applica.
tion fully authorized, by the scriptural use of such figures
as these, to represent the moral and spiritual state of
things. I propose to consider the state of mankind (the
human family) as im2jUed in the text ; the remedial pro-
vision which is made for their recovery, and the causes which
operate to prevent it.

I. The moral condition of the human family — what is
it? A diseased state; wounded, sick. !For why need
balm, if we are not wounded 1 What need of the physi-
cian, if we be not sick '?

In Isaiah i. 5, 6, the state of Israel, as a nation, is re-
presented by a human body diseased throughout : " The
whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint ; from the
sole of the foot even imto the head, there is no soundness
in it," &c. And in the New Testament, our spiritual
condition is represented by bodily disease. Sin is the
moral disease of the soul. Yes, friends, diseased in head
and heart — the understanding darkened — ^the affections
alienated ; yes, diseased throughout. Let us feel your
pulse.

Ah ! here is the fear of carnal appetite.

The inordinate thirst of covetousness,

The frenzy of passion,

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 177

The dro2osy of pride,

The delirium of self-righteousness, and

The plague of inbred sin. Ah ! do we not need balm 1
— a physician '? But observe well, my friends, this diseased
state pertains to the moral character. Hence blame and
condemnation. Our moral disease has two forms, guilt
and pollution. A dismal state! and sorry I am for it.
But thanks be to God ! there is a remedy.

"Yes, there's a voice of sovereign grace," &c. And
this brings us to consider,

II. The means of recovery. " Is there no balm in
Gilead — no physician there "?" The question implies an
affirmative : There is balm in Gilead, &c. Gilead, a dis.
trict of country lying east of ^Judea, famous for balm or a
precious balsam. [This balm or balsam (a sovereign
remedy for wounds) was extracted from a lowly tree by
incision in the bark, &c. Apply the idea. Christ the
lowly balm tree, growing in our Gilead, the holy scrip-
tures. His blood and spirit the sovereign balsam, a double
remedy, suited to the double disease of gilt and sin. Christ,
too, is the Divine Physician. All the qualities, or quali-
fications desirable in a physician are found in Christ, viz. :

A knowledge of the human system.

An acquaintance with all diseases.

A remedy for every disorder.

A readiness to attend the calls of the afflicted.

Notice the freenesx of our physician's attendance "with-
out money."

III. The question presents itself: " Why then is not
the health V &c. Why are not sinners recovered from
the deadly wounds, the mortal disease of sin? What are
the causes which operate to prevent it 1 &c. Can it be on
account of the want of balm ? No ! The question in the
8-^

178 • SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

text implies a strong affirmative : " There is balm of
soverign efficacy." Can it be because there is not balm
enough ? No ! The question implies an abundance, a
sufficiency. Is it for the want of a physician 1 O, no !
"There is a physician of consummate skill," &c. Why,
then?

1. The want of a proper sense of your condition.

2. Wrong views of the w^ay of recovery.

3. Want of a cordial consent to be cured.

Let us now notice how comes it that any are healed?
Of free and matchless grace.

Notice God's free and sovereign grace, and man's ac-
countability : " Grace all the work shall crown," &c.

Bow — Eain-Bow — Appears most beautiful on a dark
cloud ; so the lovely graces of Christianity siuiie on the
dark clouds of affliction.

Baptism. — " Go ye therefore and teach all nations, bapti-
zing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost.'' Matt, xxviii. 19.

" Go ye into the toorld and preach the gospel to every
creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved ;
but he that believeth not, shall be damned.'' Mark xvi.
15, 16.

We have here the commission given by our Lord Jesus
Christ to his Apostles, by which their course, in their
public ministrations, was to be governed ; and we give it as
recorded by Matthew and Mark, because, though the same
in substance, the one form may serve to throw light on the
other. We deem it an excellent plan, as far as possible,
to have scripture expounded by scripture.

We cannot, on the present occasion, enter into every
thing contained in the commission ; the object particularly

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 179

engaging our attention at this time, being the subject of
baptism. We do not indeed consider this the most import-
ant object that could engage our attention; but we are far
from deeming it a trivial matter. Given to us in charge,
as it was, by the great Lawgiver in Zion, and occupying the
place which it does in the commission, and in other parts
of the New Testament, it is surely our imperative duty to
ascertain the mind of Christ concerning this ordinance, and
promptly and fiithfully to act accordingly.

We find in tliis commission, that a certain action is en-
joined, called " baptizing ;" and we find a certain class or
character of persons mentioned who were to be the sub-
jects of that action. These items will form the divi-
sions of our discourse ; and accoi'dingly it is proposed to
inquire,

I. What is that action called baptizing? or, in other
words, what is baptism '? And,

II. Who are the authorized subjects of that action, or
the proper subjects of baptism ?

In this discussion I bespeak your attention, your patient
attention, and I bespeak your candor. I ask only to be
tried by the standard of scripture, rationally and candidly
interpreted.

I. Then we enter on the inquiry, what is baptism ?

The word baptize, introduced into our version of the
New Testament, it is agreed, is not a translation, but the
Greek word in an English form : Greek baptizo, (baptize,)
carries no meaning to a mere English reader. Yet, hap-
pily, we are not left at a loss ; we can ascertain the mean-
ing of this word or expression. Some action was intended
to be represented, and the question before us, is, what is
that action % Now there are several sources of information
as to this matter.

180 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

1. The meaning assigned to the word by the learned ;
and their testimony as to the ancient mode of baptizing.

2. Tlie circumstances attending the administration of
the ordinance.

3. The use of the term in a figurative way.

4. Allusions to baptisms in the Epistles.

5. Trying the different meanings which some assign to it.
To each of these we shall pay some attention. And

1. The meaning assigned to the word by the learned,
and their testimony as to the ancient mode of baptizing :

The Greek language, in which the New Testament
was originally written, is the most copious and precise,
&c. ; and, accordingly, for the different actions in which
water is used or applied, the language has its different
definite terms. Examples : — Raino and Rant'izo, Cheo
and Echeo^ Nipto^ Lauo^ Pluno, Bcqoto^ and Baptizo.
Raino, to rain, to spiinkle. Rantizo, to sprinkle. C%eo,
to pour. Echeo, to pour out. JSfipto, to wash the ex-
tremities, hands, feet, &c. Lauo, generally applied to the
washing of the body. Pluno, to the washing of gar-
ments, &c. Bapto, to dip, and to dye. Baptizo, to dip,
to immerse.

Such is the definition respectively of each of these terms.
How easy to choose a term expressive of a particular
action ! and such a term has been chosen. Baptizo, to dip, to
imm.erse. Had it been the will of Christ to express the
application of water by sprinkling — there was Rantizo ;
— or, by pouring, Cheo, dc. ; or, without reference to any
particular mode, there was Agiiizo, to purify, and Kathairo,
to cleanse. But he chose Baptizo, which we have said
means to dij), or immerse. Now for the authorities : and
we shall bring them from Pedobaptist writers! — good
witnesses.

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 181

(1.) The best lexicons, those of highest repute, give this
as the primary meaning of the word. I quote a few in-
stances out of many. Hedricus : " Baptizo^ mergo, im.
mergo." Schleusner : " Baptizo^ to immerse, to dip, to
plunge into water." Calmet : Baptism — Baptismos^ plung-
ing or immersion." Parkhurst : " Baptizos^ to dip, to
plunge, to immerse. Dr. Reese : " Baptism (in Theology)
is formed from the Greek, Baptizos, I dip, I plunge."
Chambers' Cycloptedia : " Baptism, formed of Baptizos,
Bapto ; I dip or plunge. In primitive times the ceremony
was performed by immersion, according to the original
signification of the word." Let this suffice for the authority
of lexicons.

(2.) Hear Luther: Speaking of children, he says, " they
ought to be completely immersed ; for the etymology of
the word baptis7n requires it."

(3.) Calvin : Speaking of the baptism of the Ethiopian,
he says : " We see from this instance what was the baptis-
mal rite among the ancients ; for they plunged the whole
body in the water."

(4.) Beza : " To be baptized in water, signifies no other
than to be immersed in water."

(5.) Casauban : " This was the rite of baptizing, that
persons were plunged into the water ; which the very word
Baptizein sufficiently declares."

(6.) Dr. Wall : " That immersion wq^ the practice of the
Ancient Church, is so plain and clear by an infinite number
of passages, that as one cannot but pity the weak endeavors
of such Pedobaptists as would maintain the negative of it,
so, also, we ought to disown and show a dislike of the pro-
fane scoffs which some people give to the English Anti-
Pedobaptists, merely for their use of dipping. It was in all
probability the way in which our blessed Saviour, and for

182 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

certain was the most usual and ordinary way, by which
the ancient Christians did receive their baptism."

(7.) Mosheim, the Church Historian : " The persons to be
baptized, after they had repeated the creed, &c., were im-
mersed under water, and received into Christ's kingdom
by a solemn invocation of the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost, according to the express command of our blessed
Lord." (Century 2d.)

(8.) Witsius : " It cannot be denied that the native sig-
nification of the word Baptein and Baptizein^ is to plunge,
to dip."

(9.) The learned Dr. George Campbell, of the Church
of Scotland : " The word Baptizein, both in sacred authors
and in classical, signifies to dip, to plunge, to immerse. It
is always construed suitable to this meaning." Again, in
his Lecture on Pulpit Eloquence : " I have heard a dispu-
tant of this stamp, in defiance of etymology and use, main-
tain that the word rendered ' baptize' means more proper-
ly to sprinkle than to plunge. One who argues in this
manner never fails, w^ith persons of knowledge, to betray
the cause he would defend ; and though with respect to the
vulgar, bold assertions succeed as well as arguments, yet
candid minds will disdain to take the help of a falsehood
even in support of truth."

(10.) Bretschneider, a learned German critic : " An
entire immersion belongs to the nature of baptism. This
is the meaning of the word."

(11.) JohnHVesley, in his Journal: "February 21st,
1736, Mary Welsh, aged 11 days, was baptized according
to the custom of the First Church, and the rule of the
Church of England, by immersion. Wednesday, May
5th, 1736, I was asked to baptize a child of Mr. Parker
second bailiff of Savannah.] But Mrs. P. said, neither I

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 183

nor Mr. Parker will consent to its being dipped. I answered,
if you will certify that the child is weak, it will suffice ; the
Eubric says, to pour water on it. She replied, nay, the
child is not weak ; but I am resolved it shall not be dipped.
So I went home, and the cliild was baptized by another
person."

(12.) Vossius : " That the Apostles immersed whom
they baptized, there is not a doubt ; and that the ancient
Church followed their example, is very clearly evinced by
innumerable testimonies of the Fathers." (Bring in Car-
son, as one Baptist testimony. Notice Bapto and Baptizo.)

This list of testimonies might be greatly increased, but
it is deemed unnecessary. Here, then, is a part of our
evidence from the learned, as to the meaning of the word
and the primitive practice. You will now naturally in-
quire,— " But how comes it that eminent men should
practice so differently from their own testimony f I have
nothing to offer in their defence, only that they thought
some other way might answer. A poor ground of practice,
indeed !

2. The next source of information we notice, is found in
the circumstances attending the administration of the ordi-
nance. Observe the places chosen for administering bap-
tism : — " They were baptized by John, in Jordan." Matt,
iii. 6. "And John also was baptizing. in Enon, near to
Salim, because there was much water there: and they
came and were baptized." John iii. 23, Many were found
in such a district, because a finer river was there.

Observe the little words ex2oressive of position and action^
connected with the ordinance ; the prepositions m, into^
out of, and the adverbs down and up. They were baptized
in Jordan. " O ! but this may mean at or near — this
Greek preposition en.'''' Well ; but its primary meaning,

184 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

its proper meaning, is in, and why not in here ? Try some
cases by substituting nea?' or at. But if they are at Jordan?
why are they there 1 Think of the meaning of the word
baptizo, and you see the reason. Again, Christ our blessed
Lord, wlien he was baptized, " went up out of the water."
" Oh! but tliis preposition (apo) meims from. Well, it is
agreed that it does mean fro?7i. And do not our bap-
tized subjects go up fro7n the water, after having been in
it ? And why in it or even at it ? But this matter presses
closer and harder. Here comes a case that sets at defiance
all attempts at evasion or explanation, &c. The baptism
of the Ethiopian by Philip. See Acts viii. 36, 39. Came
unto a certain water — went down both into the water, both
Philip and the eunuch : and he baptized him. And when
they were come up out of the water, &c. Really it would
seem that the Holy Spirit had purposely dictated this
account to meet and refute objections or quibbles. Here,
I believe, it is not pretended that the prepositions are not
strictly and literally rendered, and certainly they are as
strong as they could be. " They came (epi) to a certain
water : they went down both (eis) into the water : they
came up [ek) out of the water." How could anything be
clearer? Well, but still our good friends will not agree
to immersion. No ; though in the water they are not
obliged to believe he was immersed. (Expatiate here.)

3. Another means of information. The use of the term
baptize or baptism in a figurative way. The baptism of the
Holy Spirit : the baptism of sufferings : the baptism of
the Israelites in the cloud and in the sea. 1 Cor. x. 1, 2.
But we are met with an objection.

The case of Nebuchadnezzar explains this case.

4. Another source of information, found in the allusions
to baptism in the epistles. Take two instances. Rom.

SELECT TEXTS OP THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 185

vi. 3, 4. (Read the passage and comment.) "Buried
with him by baptism into death." Admitted to be em-
blematical ; but there must be a resemblance to form the
emblem. Dr. Doddridge says, " It seems to be the part
of candor to confess that allusion is here made to the pri-
mitive mode of baptism." Then Col. ii. 12.

5. The last source of information on this point we
shall mention, is, trying the different meanings which some
assign to the term baptize, or baptism. It may mean,
they say, dipping, or immersing, ivashing, pouring, sprink-
ling, or wetting. Now, this is strange, indeed ! Strange
to think that our Lord should have left the important in-
stitution in so vague a state ! But let us bring some of
these various meanings to the test. Let us put these
terms into the place of the word in question, and try the
construction — the sense, " They were baptized by John
in Jordan ;" they were poured by John in Jordan. " John
was baptizing in Enon, because there was much w^ater
there ;" John was sprinkling in Enon, because there w^as
much water there. "And they came and were baptized ;"
and they came and -were poured ! " I have a baptism to be
baptized with," — (meaning his overwhelming sufferings) —
I have a sprinJcling to be sprinkled with. — " Buried with
him by baptism into death ;" buried with him by sprink-
ling, by pouring, by washing, by wetting into death ! Now
by immersion.

But objections are brought to immersion, some of which
we will briefly notice : A case of the 3,000 on the day of
Pentecost. They could not, it is said, be all baptized by
immersion in one day. Answer : It is not certain, though
generally so understood, that the 3,000 were all baptized
on that day. Notice account. But admitting they were,
where is the difficulty 1 There is none. Twelve apostles and

186 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

70 disciples are 82 ; 3,000 to be baptized would be 37 for
each. And what is the difference of time between sprink-
ling or pouring, and immersion 1

" But the jailor and his family, how could they be im-
mersed in the night after midnight f Why, there is cer-
tainly no impossibility, nor any great difficulty in that
thing. " But where could they get water ?" Well ! now,
this is rather a hard case, that we must be required to look
for water, &c. They might go down to the river, which
was just by ; or, there might be a tank in the jail-yard, as
is customary in the East. But suppose we cannot find
water, is that any reason why the jailor could not % By no
means. I once baptized, &c.* Tliis is rather an unfavor-
able case for the objector. They were baptized out of the
house. See Acts xvi. 33, 34 ; and who would go out of the
house to be sprinkled*?

But, once more, it has been objected that immersion is
not " a very delicate or decent thing." Indeed ! Take
care, my friends, that you do not enlist the foolish pride
and corruption of the heart against an ordinance of Jesus
Christ !

Well ! we have brought forth our arguments in support
of the position that the action called " baptism" is Immer-
sion, and think we have sustained this position, by the
testimony of the learned, as to the meaning of the word
and the primitive practice ; by the circumstances attend-
ing the administration of the ordinance ; by the use of the
term in a figurative w^ay ; by allusions to baptism, in the
Epistles, and by trying the different meanings which some
assign to the word. And now, this point rests between

* I regret that, not having heard this sermon preached, I am
unable to furnish an account of the incident to which allusion is
here made. — Ed.

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 187

you and the great Master, while I pass to the other object
in this discussion, which is to consider,

II. Who are the authorized or proper subjects of baptism 1

And here I take the position, that the proper subjects,
and the only proper subjects of baptism, are believers in
Jesus Christ, that is, professed believers, for we cannot pre-
tend to know the hearts of any. You know that we are
here at issue with a great part of Christendom, who main-
tain that infants are proper subjects of baptism. Many great
men, and eminent for piety, &c., have maintained this
doctrine. But this is no argument : great and good men
are often found engaged on opposite sides, &c. And it is
a serious mistake to imagine that the Reformers from
Popery brought with them none of the trappings of Anti-
Christ and the errors of Babylon.

It has been said, that in regard to believers' baptism there
is no controversy, the only question being whether infants
are proper subjects of baptism. A mistake. If it were
agreed that all believers ought to be baptized, there would
indeed be no controversy ; but they say it is only where a
person has not been baptized in infancy, that he ought to
be baptized on a profession of faith in Christ. Infant bap-
tism takes the place of believers' baptism, supplants it, and
would banish it from Christendom !

In support of our position, I shall appeal to the commis-
sion which stands in our text ; shall examine the practice
of the apostles in executing this commission, meeting ob-
jections and arguments on the other side by the way ; and
shall probably offer some remarks suggested by the apos-
tolic addresses to the baptized. Here it will be proper to
lay down the rule of evidence. Baptism is a positive insti-
tution. The right to it must be proved by express com-

188 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

niand ; or, by" plain example ; or, by clear and conclusive
inference. On this ground then, we join issue.

1. We attend to the commission. Matt. : " Go ye, and
teach all nations, baptizing," &c. Mark : " He that be-
lieveth and is baptized shall be saved." Here it has been
asked, how would the apostles understand the commission 1
And it has been answered according to the custom of the
Jews, who were in the habit of receiving infants into their
community. No ! my good friends, no ! Jewish customs
were not to govern the customs of the " Jerusalem which
is from above." They would understand the commission
according to its plain, common-sense meaning ; and would
see that it agreed in substance with the practice which they
had pursued under their Master, when he " made and bap-
tized more disciples than John." What then is the con-
struction to be put on the commission ? " Teach all
nations, baptizing them." Baptizing whom ? The taught,
doubtless, &c. And they are to be so taught as to believe ;
for so says Mark : " He that believeth, and is bap-
tized," &c.

But it is said the word " teach" means in the original
" to disciple," or " to make disciples." To this we readily
agree. And what are disciples ? Learners ; persons em-
bracing the doctrines, and following the precepts of their
master or teacher. And can infants, by any process, be
manufactured into disciples ? No ! no ! Our Lord tells
us who is a disciple of his. And Mark tells us again, that
these disciples are believers: "He that believeth,''^ &c.
Such, then, appears obviously to be the proper construction
of the commission ; and infants are not included in it.
But this construction has been met by an argument to this
effect : there is a positive command in the commission to

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 189

make disciples and to baptize them ; and if infants are not
mentioned, neither are adults mentioned ; and so there is
the same ground for the one as for the other. Strange, in-
deed ! Compelled with all my respect, &c., to consider
such an argument mere quibbling ! Adults not mentioned %
Where was the need ? The things required were teaching
or making disciples and believing ; these show that the
subjects must be of such an age as to possess the requisite
capacity ; and these requisites cannot be possessed by in-
fants. And why introduce adults ? We do not contend
for adult baptism, but for believers' baptism. Thousands
of adults are as unfit for baptism as infants, and thousands
of baptized believers are not adults. Still, then, our con-
struction of the commission stands unshaken. And now,
my friends, mark well this rule, or canon, which we lay
down. A commission which includes only a given charac-
ter^ or description, does virtually forbid or exclude all others ;
or, in other words, " the items contained in any commis-
sion, are all the things which the commissioned are autho-
rized to perform. (Campbell.) Unless, then, it can be
elsewhere shown that infants were really baptized under
divine authority, the commission will stand as a barrier
against the practice.

But, again, our construction of the commission is as-
sailed.

It has been argued as to the commission in Mark, " He
that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved ;" that if the
requirement of faith excludes infants from baptism, so
would it exclude them from salvatio?i; for it is added,
"he that believeth not shall be damned." Answer. — If
there were no other way of saving infants but by the
gospel and its ordinances, they would be excluded from
salvation; for with them the gospel and its ordinances

190 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

have nothing to do. Infants are saved by virtue of the
death of Christ, but not by faith — not by the gospel.
And you do not gather them into the promise by baptism,
for the promise is to him that believeth and is baptized.
God has committed the ministration of the gospel and its
ordinances to us ; but the salvation of infants he has re-
served in Ms own hands.

But our Lord, we are told, commanded to receive in-
fants. Mark ix. 36, 37. And again he ordered, " suffer
the little children to come unto me," &c. And this, it
seems, is an argument for their baptism. Let us look at
these passages. (Read and comment.) Our Lord had a
tender heart towards little ones ; and had he deemed it
beneficial to them to be baptized, would, no doubt, have
then directed it should be done, or would have included
them in the commission.

We have laid it down as a canon or rule, that the sub-
jects of baptism must be indicated by express command,
by plain examples, or, by clear and conclusive inference.
In considering the commission — the great law of bap-
tism— ^we have found the command clearly in favor of
believers' baptism — and nothing like it, but the contrary, as
to infant baptism ; nor do the cases in the 9th and 10th
of Mark apply to the subject.

2. We now proceed to consider the practice of these
gospel messengers in executing the commission. Here
we shall find examples ; but will there be any examples of
infant baptism^ % We shall see.

I shall not here go back to the baptism of John. I do
not consider it necessary. Dr. Whitby, a learned Pedo-
baptist expositor, acknowledges that infant baptism is not
to be found here, &c. And all, I think, must agree that
there is nothing like it in all the history of John's baptism.

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 191

Well, then, we begin with the Pentecostal baptism.
Acts ii. 37 — 40. The people were pierced in the heart,
and said, " men and brethren, what shall we do ^" Peter
replied, " Repent and be baptized every one of you," &;c.
Here repentance was required of all that should be bap-
tized. But we are here met with an objection, or an argu-
ment, ver. 39 : " For the promise is unto you and to your
children," &c. What promise 1 Baptism 1 O, no. Bap-
tism was commanded. In quoting from the prophecy of
Joel, salvation was promised, ver. 21 ; and in ver. 38, the
Holy Ghost was promised ; to one or the other this pro-
bably alludes.

Is it not strange that our Pedobaptist friends cannot see
the word " children" in the most remote comiection with
baptism, without thinking of infants ? as if a man's chil-
dren were not his children when grown up, &c. But be
this promise what it may, it is obviously restricted in the
close of ver. 39, to " as many as the Lord our God shall
call."

But, my friends, where are the infants on this occasion %
" They that gladly received his word were baptized." No
others are mentioned, and no others have we a right to
consider as having been baptized.

Come with me to the next example : Acts viii. 12.
" But when they (the Samaritans) believed Philip preach-
ing the things concerning the Kingdom of God, and the
name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and
women." How perfectly in conformity with our con-
struction of the commission. Philip preached ; they be-
lieved ; and they were baptized^ both men and women.
Any infants introduced '? None. And I pause here, my
friends, for you to reflect ! If there had been infants bap-
tized here, would they not have been mentioned ?

192 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

We next attend to witness the baptizing of the Ethio-
pian. Several of the cases we now review, have come
under our notice in treating on the action of baptism. We
are yet in the 8th chapter of Acts ; see ver. 35 to 39.
Philip preached Jesus ; the Ethiopian requested baptism.
Philip required faith, heart-faith in Jesus Christ : the
Ethiopian professed it ; " and they went both down, &;c.,
and he baptized him." A case in point, both as to mode
and subject.

We stop at Damascus just to witness the baptism of
Saul of Tarsus, Acts ix. 18, and pass on to the family
of Cornelius, where we find a company collected, &c.
The Holy Spirit falls on all of them, and Peter commands
that they shall be baptized. Acts x. 44 — 48. No infants
introduced.

We come xiow to the case of the baptism of Lydia,
Acts xvi. 14, 15, who attended a prayer-meeting at
Philippi, by the river side, where Paul and Silas spoke to
the women present. 'Twas a happy meeting for Lydia ;
the Lord opened her heart, &c., " and she was baptized,
and her household." And here our good friends think
they have found a loop on which to hang an argument in
favor of an example of infant baptism. Let us see. Who
was Lydia *? A woman of Thyatira, a seller of purple, now
at Philippi, said to be 200 miles distant from the place of
her residence. Was Lydia ever married '? Can't say. If
she was married, had she any children ? Possibly ; but
don't know. If she had children, were any of them now
infants 1 Can't be confident as to that. And if she had
infants, did she bring them with her on this long journey 1
Never heard. Might not her family consist of persons
employed to assist in her trade *? Why that is not im-
probable— see ver. 40. Well now, my good friends, how

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 193

can you bring forward this case in evidence of infant
baptism 1

But now comes the Philippian jailer, with his family.
Such as these are the cases, it seems, in which we are to
look for examples of infant baptism ; or, at least, for such
an argument as will prove it by inference. " The jailer
and all his were baptized ;" and the argument is, that we
are to consider it probable there were infants in his family,
and probable, therefore, that infants were baptized. And
is this an argument in proof of the point ? Are we thus
furnished with an example, or with a proof by way of in-
ference 1 Surely we are not. So far from it, the circum-
stances furnish evidence to the contrary. See the
account : Acts xvi. 25, 34. (Comment on the circum-
stances.) Here, then, we have noticed two household
baptisms, and none can say that we have found infants
baptized in either of them.

There is a third case of the sort which we may as well
notice here. Paul has told us, (1 Cor. i. 16,) that he " bap-
tized the household of Stephanas." Well, and what of
this household "? Why, Paul says in the 16th chapter, that
it was " the first fruits of Achaia, and that they had ad-
dicted themselves to the ministry of the saints." They
were not infants then. What difficulty, my friends, is
there in crediting the fact, that there w^ere three believing
households 1

In our journey through the Acts, we come to another
case of baptism ; chapter xviii., ver. 8 : " And Crispus,
the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord
with all his house ;" (so here, by the way, was a believmg
household ;) " and many of the Corinthians hearing, be-
lieved, and were baptized." How strikingly conform-
able to our interpretation of the commission ! Hearing,

194 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

believed^ and loere hcqytized. llow in accordance Avith the
Samai-itans ! What an opportunity for inflxnts to be bap-
tized, and none introduced ! In the 19th chapter, we 'have
an account of certain disciples found l)y Paul at Ephesus,
who had been baptized unto John's baptism. Whether
they were re-baptized or not, docs not affect our argu-
ment ; they were all believers.

We have now, I believe, gone through with the re-
corded examples of New Testament baptism in the ex-
ecution of the commission. We have not found infant
baptism in the commission, nor in the examples, nor yet
by anything like inferential proof; while the evidence for
believers' baptism shines forth, &c. I might now come to
olTer the remarks suggested by the apostolic addresses,
only that I am called to consider some remaining argu-
ments much relied on, as evidences for infant baptism, by
way of inference. These arguments have been presented
under these three heads : — Infants were once received into
covenant by an express law, never repealed ; identity of
the Church under the Old Testament and under the New ;
baptism in the room of circumcision. Take some no-
tice of each — not necessary after the evidence we have
presented to dwell, &c.

1. " Infants were once received into covenant by an ex-
press law, not repealed." What covenant ? Why, we
are told the covenant made with Abraham ; and Paul
says, Gal. iii. 17, that the law, which was 430 years after,
cannot disannul it." This expression, " the Abrahamic
Covenant," so often used, is very vague. Now see what
an error is here ! Observe well. This covenant, to which
the apostle alludes, is not the " Covenant of Circumci-
sion," in the 17th chapter of Genesis, but that in the 12th
chapter, as will appear by calculating the time, 430 years

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 195

before. It is the covenant, the apostle says, " confirmed
of God in Christ ;" that in Abraham, from whom Christ
(according to the flesh) should come, all the families of
the earth should be blessed. It is the fountain of life ;
the circumcision and the uncircumcision are equally inter-
ested in it, and we rejoice that it cannot be disannulled!
I will not say, indeed, that the covenant of circumcision,
17th of Gen., is disannulled as to the Jews or Israelites ;
but of this we are confident, that it does not in the letter
apply to the Gentiles, which any one may see w^ho reads
it. Our connection is with the uncircumcision. We, as
believers, are the children of the promise. Gen. xii. That the
old constitution, which embraced infants and all Israelites
indiscriminately, is a different thing from the new, we
shall see presently.

2. The identity or sameness of the Church under the
Old Testament and under the New, is argued and insisted
on. That is, that the Abrahamic Church, I suppose we
must call it, expanded into the Israelitish Church ; and
the Gospel Church, under the new economy, are the same.
Now this is strange, indeed. The old Jewish Church,
which, in its constitution, included all ages, all characters
indiscriminately — is it the same with that which requires
penitence and faith as pre-requisites to admission, &c. 1 —
that Church which persecuted the Lord of glory and his
disciples unto death, the same with that which is washed
with his own blood, &c. ? But why exclaim 1 We think we
can clearly prove the contrary — Heb. viii. 7, 10, (quoted
from Jeremiah,) Dan. ii. 44 : " Shall the God of Heaven
set up a kingdom *?" Matt. xvi. 18. " Upon this rock will
I build lay Church." Gal. iv. 22 — 26. Allegory — two cove-
nants contrasted. And to mark the difference, ver. 30, " Cast
out the bondwoman," &c. But let us hear the evidence

196 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

which is brought in favor of the identity of the Jewish
Church and the Christian. Rom. xi. 17, 18 and 24.
Figure of the olive tree. " No change represented in the
good olive tree." Well, but a change in some respects is
admitted ; and so the argument fails. You are obliged
to admit, that the Christian Church is, in some respects,
different from the old Jewish Church. Yes ; and the
apostle says, " there is a change in the law," and there is
a new covenant. The object of this figure, about the olive
tree, seems to be to illustrate the transfer of religious
privileges, not to point out the character of those privi-
leges.

But as another evidence we are referred to Ephes. iii. 6 :
" That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same
body," &c. What same body ? Why, the same body in
common. Of one body, equal to the expression of the
same body. See the passage, and see chap. ii. verse 15,
16, where the point is settled : " Of twain one new man ;"
" both unto God in one hodyP No identity here between
the old Church and the new. Not one old man ; but one
new man.

3. It is argued that baptism has come in the room of
circumcision. Where is the proof? Analogy between the
two rites is urged. Both initiating rites ; both lay the
subjects under peculiar obligations. Now the want of
analogy or agreement is a conclusive argument against
this position.

1. Circumcision^ for males only. Baptism^ for males and
females.

2. Circumcision^ on the eighth day^ for infants. Bai^tism
at different ages, by those who practice infant baptism.

3. Circumcision had no regard to character, even in
adults. Baj^tism, it is admitted, requires /ai^A in adults.

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 197

4. Circumcision pertained to all the servants of a Jewish
family. BcqytisiJi has been (by Pedobaptists) restricted to
believers and their children.

Again we ask for proof, and we are referred to Col. ii.
11, 12 : " In whom also ye are circumcised," &c. Do in-
fants put off the body of sins by baptism 1 And can infants
rise in baptism by the faith of the operation of God '? No
proof; nothing like proof And now, I ask here one
question : When the Church Conference was held (Acts
XV.) on the question of circumcision, if baptism had been
considered by the apostles as coming in the room of circum-
cision, would they not here have mentioned it '? Doubt-
less. This settles the question. There remam to be
noticed some two or three objections, or arguments, against
us, which have not come up in the course of the discussion,
and must be introduced here. We have been proving that
believers are the only proper subjects of baptism, and
humbly conceive that we have established our position.
On this ground we frequently say, that faith and reinnt-
ance are pre-requisites to baptism; and, therefore, that
inflmts cannot be subjects. We are here met with an
argument in this shape : " That this respects adults ; that
faith and repentance are required of adults, not of infants,
and so it argues nothing against infant baptism." Here,
then, is a puzzle for us. But, it bursts with a touch ! It
is of the subjects that faith and repentance are required :
yes, of the subjects. The puzzle vanishes ! But an attempt
is made to sustain this point. " Paul," it is said, " com-
manded the Thessalonians (2 Thess. iii. 10), that if any
would not work, neither should he eat ; and the same argu-
ment, &c., would exclude infants from eating." (Pres. Ed-
wards' argument.) View this matter rightly, and the appa-
rent puzzle again vanishes. Infants must live, therefore they

198 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

must eat : this is a matter taken for granted. But it is
not granted that infants must be baptized ; this would sure-
ly be begging the question. Prove that infants must be
baptized in order to their eternal life. Old Augustine's
doctrine, that unbaptized infants must be damned ! Hor-
rible ! The puzzle again has vanished.

Now comes, 1 Cor. vii. 14 : " For the unbelieving hus-
band is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is
sanctified by the husband ; else, were your children un-
clean ; but now are they holy." Just notice the occasion.

But mthout going here into an exposition of the passage,
it suffices to remark, and I beg you to notice it, that the
sanctification of the unbelieving party is precisely of the
same nature with the sort of holiness ascribed to the chil-
dren ; and, of course, if the children be the subjects Of
baptism, so is the unbelieving husband or wife! Yes,
the heathen husband or wife entitled to Christian baptism
on the fiith of the other party ! This consequence anni-
hilates the plea — utterly^ utterly. •

Yet one more plea to be noticed, and we have done, 1
think, with the series of objections and arguments against
our views.

The case of female communion. (Here introduce, &c.)

And now, speaking of communion, a remark is suggested,
to which I ask your particular attention. The plea is
strongly urged for infant me7nbership, and by consequence
for infant baptism : my remark is, that the same plea, the
same argument, if carried out, will lead to infant coin-
munion !

I had intended to examine the argument from what is
called the testimony of the ancient Fathers — ^but little time
is now left for anything of that sort, and it is the less to
be regretted, as we do not intend to be guided by the

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 199

writings, or tlie practice of these " Fathers," but by the
Bible. Some declaim on this topic, " the testimony of the
Fathers," who know as little of their writings as / do.
Thanks be to God for " a more sm-e word of prophecy,"
to which all have access ! After all, what is the amount
of this testimony of the Fathers ? Or rather, what is con-
tended for with respect to this testimony 1 Why, that
these old writers mention, at least allude, to infant baptism,
from a very early period onward into the fourth century.
That Justin Martyr, Irenseus, Tertullian, Origen, Augus-
tine, Cyprian, &c., from early in the second century, if not
in the first, on through several centuries, speak of infant
baptism, some more plainly, others by allusion.

Now, it is deemed that the two earlier writers, Justin
Martyr and Irenssus, allude to infant baptism. Tertullian,
in the third century, when the baptism of small children
began to prevail, opposed it ; and afterwards, in the time
of Augustine and Cyprian, when infant baptism had come
into practice, who will deny that a flood of superstition
and human traditions had come in mth it ? — Yes ; most of
those superstitions with which the Church of Rome, im-
proving on these Fathers, have encumbered and deformed
the beautiful system of Christianity. But you shall hear,
my friends, what a learned and pious Pedobaptist says
about the testimony of these " Fathers." I mean no other
than the excellent Dr. Doddridge. I will read you an
extract :

" See letters of David and John, page 52, 53 ; and see
page 54, what the learned Salmasius and Curelloeus have said
as to the early introduction of infant baptism. And now,
dear friends, let me ask you seriously this question : can
you believe that God has made it the duty of the plain
inquirer after truth, to seek for a solution of the question

200 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

in these old musty records, instead of going straight to the
Bible, &c 1 No ! Give me flithers Matthew, Mark and
Luke ; fathers John, Peter and Paul."

I should now introduce, as a collateral argument, my
proposed remarks on the apostolic addresses to the bap-
tized, only that not deeming it now necessary, and having
made so large a draft on your time and attention, I will
spare you, my friends, and dispense with those remarks.
Indulge me in a few concluding reflections.

I have endeavored to discuss the subject as proposed,
making the great commission the foundation of the discus-
sion. We have been engaged in ascertaining the nature
of that action which is termed baptism, and the character
or description of persons who are the proper subjects of
that action. I have met and replied to objections and
arguments by the way, and afterwards attended to those
which did not cross our path in a straight-forward discus-
sion of the subject. I now appeal to your candid and
conscientious judgment. Has it not been made to appear,
that immersion is the New Testament baptism ? Say not
the onode is a matter of no consequence : take care how you
trifle with Christ's Institution ! the mode is the thing itself.
Has it not been made to appear, too, that believers, pro-
fessed believers, are the only authorized subjects ? Take
care then, how you bring forward others ? Hark ! that
voice ! " Who hath required this at your hands V and
that charge, " Why do ye also transgress the command-
ment of God by your tradition f

Consider that baptism is a personal duty. Have you,
as a believer, complied with it ?

What way ought one to take ? What road 1 The one
that is clearly right, or a doubtful one ?

The " Church Catechism," so called, says, " that repent-

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 201

ance and faith are required of persons to be baptized ;" and
provides for infant baptism by " sponsors !"

Relate a case showing the difficulty of deciding on the
age at which a child may be baptized on the faith of the
parent.

How easily may a plain inquirer after truth decide from
the New Testament !

Baptized believers ! Reflect on the privilege of baptism,
and on the solemn pledge which you have given.

Unconverted friends ! Baptism, though highly import-
ant, is not your first concern. Repentance, faith in Jesus
Christ, then baptism.

Grace, Mercy, and Peace ! with all them that love our
Lord Jesus Christ ! Amen.

Bruised Reed. — " A hymised reed shall he not hreak.^ and
smoJcing flax shall he not quench^ till he send forth judg-
ment unto victory r Matt. xii. 20.

A quotation from xlii. 3 : " He shall bring forth judg-
ment unto truth ;" and applied by the evangelist to our
Lord Jesus Christ. (Notice the whole quotation.) In-
tended to represent the humble and unostentatious dispo-
sition of our Divine Redeemer, and his tender care over
the weakest of his flock.

Explication. The objects of this kind regard are repre-
sented as " a bruised reed," and as " smoking flax."

The bruised reed — an allusion to the musical pipe used
by shepherds, representing the believer broken down in
spirit, and bowed down with a sense of his sin and weak-
ness. The shepherd would break and cast away his reed
when bruised ; but our Good Shepherd acts not so : for
" the bruised reed will he not break," but will rather repair
and mend it,

202 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

"Smoking flax," — or dimly burning, as the marginal
reading ; just ready to expire. An image of the
Christian when divine influences are suspended, and cor-
ruptions and temptations cloud his graces, and damp his
vigor ; so that " the things which remain are ready to die."
Such a wick men would extinguish, but our gracious Lord
" will not quench the smoking flax ;" he will rather blow
or kindle it into a flame.

" He will send or bring forth judgment unto truth, or
victory," i. e. : He will favorably decide the cause of such,
by giving a true judgment, which will be unto victory on
their part. This promise may be applied to the Church in
general, more especially to every weak and oppressed
believer.

The general doctrine resulting from this passage is, that
the most oppressed and feeble believers shall prove victo-
rious through the tender care and grace of Christ.

But that we may not encourage false professors while
attempting to strengthen the weakest of the flock of Christ,
it will be necessary to draw the line of distinction:
and this may render the subject useful to the unregenerate
as w^ell as to the Christian. I shall,

I. Mention some things that are found in the experience
of all believers, even the weakest ; " that none may pre-
sume," &c.

II. Give the characters of weak and oppressed believers ;
that the bruised reed and smoking flax may see his own
image.

III. Show that all believers, though weak and oppressed,
shall come off* victorious, &c.

I. Mention some things found in the exj^erience of all
believers.

1. A universal change of heart and life.

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 203

2. A renouncing of their own righteousness, and a de-
pendence on Christ alone.

3. Communion with Christ.

4. A desire to walk in obedience and to be holy ; and
a grief of heart for the contrary.

5. Of course a war maintained against every sin.
(Bring appropriate scriptures, and answer objections

under each article.)

II. The characters of the weak and oppressed believers,
represented by the bruised reed and smoking flax. Ex-
hibited by

1. Making sense and feeling the ground of believing.

2. Denying what God has done for you, and attempting
to cast away your hopes : wishing God to show you your
condemnation when you are really delivered from it.

3. Wrestling against corruptions, and obtaining but little
sensible victory.

4. Frequently buffeted with Satan's temptations : —
" fiery darts" poisoned.

5. Too easily overcome by temptation. Christ calls
you to repent afresh, &c.

6. Drawing harsh conclusions from the dark dispensa-
tions of Providence.

7. Being full of anxiety about the issue of divine dis-
pensations.

Remember, the care of a ivorh belongs to you ; but the
care of the success to God.

8. Too soon discouraged in pleading for mercy, and too
impatient to see prayers answered.

9. Remissness in duty makes a bruised reed and smoking
flax.

III. All believers, though they may be weak and op-
pressed, shall come off victorious. Because,

204 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

1. They .were given in charge to Christ.

2. Have his promises.

3. His sympathy.

4. His power. A power of authority and a power of
ability.

5. All are united to him, &c. Improve.

Character — To be determined rather by the general dis-
position of the mind and tenor of the life, than by particular
or single action. Notice the case of Noah, Abraham,
Jacob, David, Peter. Each has a blemish in his character,
though they were all truly gracious.

Conscience. — Though on account of human depravity,
not correct in all its details ; yet the very principle itself
a proof of future existence and accountability to God.
Human laws cannot reach the heart, and frequently not
even private actions : but something tells man there is a
law which does^ and will be pointing to a future tribunal.

'' The spectre Conscience shrieking through the gloom, .
Man we shall meet again beyond the tomb."

Christ Considered as our Apostle and High Priest. —
" Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the Heavenly
calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our pro-
fession, Christ Jesus.'''' — Heb. iii. 1. Our Lord Jesus
Christ is the sum and substance of divine revelation. If
we consider the prophetic writings, they either imme-
diately or remotely allude to him ; if the sacrifices under
the old dispensation, they point to him as the great anti-
type ; and if we attend to the preaching of the apostles,

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 205

we find them " determined not to know anything, save
Jesus Christ and him crucified." All that spiritual light,
which has blessed our benighted world, since the first
dawn of the dayspring fi-om on high," has flowed origin-
ally fi"om the " sun of righteousness," either by reflection,
as when the sunbeams strike some object, and are thrown
back to us ; or by refraction, as when the sunbeams are
bent out of their course ; or, by immediate direction, as
when the rays fall from the sun upon us ; (exemplify.)
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." —
Rev. xix. 10.

This being the case, it must surely be admitted, that
Christ Jesus is an object well worthy our attention,
" wherefore holy," &c.

We might consider Christ Jesus in a variety of as-
pects. Indeed, were we to allow ourselves full latitude,
where would be our limits 1 We might consider him in
his person, in his undertaking, in his offices ; we might
consider him in his works, in the labors of his life, and
the agonies of his death ; we might consider him in his
doctrines, his precepts, his ordinances — in the whole of
his humiliation, and in his exaltation — in his glory in
heaven, and in his second coming to judge the world.
But we can select only a few of these topics, and shall at-
tend to such only as the text immediately embraces. Let
us consider,

I. The address — holy brethren, partakers of the hea-
venly calling.

II. Christ Jesus, under the character of our Apostle and
High Priest. The Lord put it into our minds to consider
the subject, with a becoming spirit !

I. The address — holy brethren, partakers of the hea-
venly calling.

206 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

We are all brethren in Adam. " God hath made of
one blood all nations ;" Acts xvii. 26 ; and pity is it, that
the human family live so little like brethren. But though
brethren in Adam, we are not holy brethren. This comes
of a new, holy, heavenly birth. We thus become one
family in Christ, " of whom the whole family in heaven
and earth is named" — Ephes. iii. 15 — receive a holy prin-
ciple, and are to be holy to the Lord in our life and con-
versation. These persons are farther designated by their
being " partakers of the heavenly calling." This may
refer either to the call by which sinners are brought from
darkness to light, or to the profession made by such; in
either case, 'tis a heavenly calling. They are reminded
of this, to enforce the consideration of this holy and hea-
venly object, Christ Jesus, to which we now direct atten-
tion.

II. Christ Jesus as our Apostle and High Priest.

1. As an apostle. An apostle is one sent immediately
on some special errand. Hence the term is applied to
those men who were chosen by Christ himself, and per-
sonally sent by him to proclaim his gospel, work mira-
cles, and declare his precepts ; and hence Paul lays claim
to the character of an apostle; see 1 Cor. ix. 1. But in
the highest sense, the term aj)plies to Jesus Christ, sent by
God the Father to declare his will, and to perform the
work of Redemption.

The character of an apostle seems to be that of an am-
bassador and teacher. " Now then, we are ambassadors
for Christ," &c. 2 Cor. v. 20. " Go ye, therefore, and
teach all nations," &c. Matt, xxviii. 9. As ambassadors,
they were to declare terms of peace to a guilty world ;
and as teachers, to instruct mankind into the way of re-
conciliation to God, and their duty to him.

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 207

Now, Jesus Christ was an ambassador and teacher in
the most eminent sense. If we can establish his charac-
ter as ambassador, that of teacher will follow, of course.
In order to do this, let us examine,

(1.) His divine mission ; and

(2.) His credentials.

(1.) His divine mission, or his being sent by the Father.
God had promised a glorious person under the title of the
Messiah, or the Messenger of the Covenant ; and when
Jesus Christ appeared, he answered the description given
of that person. (Here notice the prophecies and their ac-
complishment.)

(2.) His credentials or authority. This, in the affairs of
men, we may consider as being written by the secretary ;
signed by the king, or ruling power, and sealed with the
broad seal of the nation. Let us see if the commission
of our Divine Ambassador is thus authenticated. Who
so fit to be the secretary of heaven as the Divine Wis-
dom 1 With this was the commission of Jesus Christ
written. What wisdom in the plan of salvation : in the
doctrines of the gospel ! His commission was signed by
Heaven's eternal King. Did not God write his name in
the miracles performed by his Son? It was sealed by
the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven ; 1 Pet. i. 12 ; in
the success of the gospel, as well as in the person of
Christ himself, " for him hath God the Father sealed."
John vi. 27.

Our Lord, in the character of the Apostle of our profes-
sion, was a teache7\ as well as an ambassador. No person has
a right to oppose the creed of Nicodemus : " Eabbi, we
know that thou art a teacher come from God." (Refer to
his instructions to sinners.)

208 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

2. We are to consider Christ Jesus as our High Priest.

There is, doubtless, an allusion here to the High Priest-
hood among the Jews. Let us consider, the analogy.
This will appear in several instances.

(1.) In the consecration of the High Priest. He was
brought to the door of the Tabernacle, washed with water,
anointed with oil, and sanctified by the blood of the sacri-
fice. Christ was pure from all defilement ; anointed with
the oil of gladness, and sanctified by his own blood.

(2.) In his dress : Ephod of gold, blue, purple and scar-
let, a figure of the unsearchable riches of Christ, and the
graces which adorned his humanity ; names of the twelve
tribes upon his shoulders and breastplate : Christ bearing
his people on the shoulder of his power, and the breast-
plate of his love, were engraved on precious stones
firmly set, &c. Urim and Thummim, or lights and perfec-
tions : In Christ the light of wisdom and perfection of
holiness. Girdle with which he was girt ; readiness of
Christ to perform his work : " raithfulness, the gii'dle of
his loins, and righteousness the girdle of his reins." Isa.
xi. 5. Golden bells : the sound of the gospel. O, blessed
are tl!e people who know the joyful sound ! Pome-
granates ; fruits of righteousness.

(3.) His office : to offer sacrifice, and to bless the people.
Once a year on the great day of atonement, &c. Christ
offered his own blood once for all, and is entered into the
holy place made without hands. (Notice the rending of
the vail.) Christ blesses the people ; yea, with an ever-
lasting blessing !

After all, it must be acknowledged that Christ was not
a priest after the Aaronical order ; for he was not of the
tri])e of Levi, but of Judah, " of whom, concerning the

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 209

priesthood, Moses wrote notliing." But does this prevent
his being a priest 1 No ! He is a priest after a higher
order ; " a priest forever after the order of Melchisedek."
Appointed immediately by God, and, like Melchisedek,
uniting the priestly with the kingly office. " He shall sit
and rule upon his throne, and shall be a priest upon his
throne." Zech. vi. 13.

In the text, then, are comprised the three celebrated
offices of Christ — Prophet, Priest, and King.

Consider him, to understand his glories. Consider him,
to imitate his heavenly virtues.

Decrees. — People apt to go to extremes in treating
this subject.

Some deny the divine decrees ; others attempt fully to
fathom and explain them. Allegory to illustrate the sub-
ject.

I was travelling to a goodly country in company with
two others — a deep-diving /ate^is^ and a hot-headed Armi-
nian. A great ocean lay in the way. We stood on the
shore awhile, where, (as we were told,) a vessel was to
come to receive us. I recollected the apostle's exclama-
tion—" O, the depth !" &c.

The flitalist plunged in, determined, if possible, to ex-
plore the bottom ; the Arminian turned back displeased.

I soon saw the ship. As I entered on board, I saw the
fiitalist, after plunging and beating the waves, gain the
shore. The captain called to him : " Learn henceforward
to be more modest in matters too deep for your investiga-
tion ; and tell your acquaintance, the AiTninian, to wonder
and adore where he cannot comprehend. Then come to-
gether, and wait for the return of the vessel."

210 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

Enlisting Soldiers for Jesus, the Captain of our
Salvation. — See what inducements !

1. A good cause,

2. A glorious commander.

3. Bounty money,

4. Certain conquest, and more.

5. Eternal peace and triumph.

Evidence of the Divine Authority of the Scrip-
tures— Not as high as it might be ; this is urged as an ob-
jection to the scriptures. It is said, " God might give incon-
trovertible proofs — might present repeated miracles," &c.

Answer. — The same objection might an Atheist use
against the first principles of natural religion. If it be
said that the evidences for these are clearer ; suppose I ad-
mit it, I would answer, that elementary prmciples ought to
be the most obvious. If there be sufficient evidence, all
objections are nothing.

Election, Sovereign and Eree. — "According as he
hath chosen us in him (Christ Jesus) before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy," &c. — Eph. i. 4.
" All that the Eather giveth to me shall come to me," &c.
— John vi. 37. " Who hath saved us and called us with a
holy calling : not according to our works, but according to
his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began." — 2 Tim. i. 0.

The part of mankind spoken of in the above scriptures
must be styled the chosen of God, given of the Father, &c. ;
either, because of their actually bemg believers, or because
it was foreseen they would believe, or because God eter-
nally purposed that they should believe and be saved.

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 211

Were they chosen because of their actually being be-
lievers 1 No ! For they were chosen " before the foun
dation of the world." Were they chosen because it was
foreseen they would believe '? No ! For then it must
have been according to something good in us, and not
" according to his own purpose and grace given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began."

It must then have been because God eternally purposed
that we should believe and be saved.

If God converts us freehj now, he chose us freely«from
everlasting.

Enmity of the World, &c. — As long as the world is at
enmity with God, so long will it discover opposition, under
some form, to his people. If outbreaking persecution be
restrained, opposition is not destroyed. Our conscientious-
ness will be construed into singularity ; our solitude termed
monhishness ; our attachment to truths be called bigotry ;
our experience, enthusiasm ; and protably our devotion,
hypocrisy.

Female Labor in Advancing the Gospel."^' — " And I
entreat thee, also, true yoTce-fellows, help those women ivho
labored with me in the gospel.'''' — Philippians, iv. 3.

Who can read the memoirs of the Apostle Paul, that emi-
nent servant of Christ, as they are presented to us in the
Acts of the Apostles, without being struck with the evidence
of his self-consecration, his entire abandonment of body, soul,
and spirit, to that blessed cause which he had espoused
from the memorable day when he was arrested in his mad
career by the hand of Almighty Grace, through the whole

* Preached before the Female Missionary Society, Birmingham,
King and Queen County, Virginia. — [Ed.

212 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

course of his laborious and devoted life ! And who can
peruse his Epistles to the churches, where the warm effu-
sions of his heart are poured forth, without remarking and
admiring that sympathy which is awakened in him, which
causes every chord in his soul to vibrate in unison ^dth
the feelings of those, who, in any manner, or in any de-
gree, were engaged in promoting that blessed cause which
he so ardently loved !

And shall we be content, brethren and sisters, shall we
be content with merely looking on, and marking, and ad-
miring ? O for more of the spirit of Paul ! More of that
sacred unction so richly shed on him ! that we may fol-
low, though at humble distance, in the track of this illus-
trious herald of the cross !

The words of our text present us with an instance of
that sympathy which the Apostle felt ; of that interest
which he took in behalf of those who were engaged in lending
a hand to promote this good work. The humble efforts of
pious females are not overlooked in him. " I entreat thee,"
&c. " Those women who labored with me in the gospel."
And are we hence to infer, that in those apostolic times,
women were engaged in public preaching ? I should answer,
No ! for this would contravene the apostle's admonition, " I
suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority." And
were there no way by which women might " labor in the gos-
pel," without becoming public preachers, there would appear
to be an irreconcilable variance between the words of our
text and the apostolic precept just quoted. The solution,
however, of any apparent difficulty, is easy ; there is a way,
there are means and methods by which this work may be
performed, without assuming the office of public preaching.
This office does by no means involve all the labor which
appertains to the sustaining and promoting of the gospel of
Christ.

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 213

In a brief discussion of this subject, I propose,

I. To offer some considerations in favor of the fitness,
the propriety of female aid, in advancing the progress of
the gospel.

II. To suggest some of the methods, or means by which
this good work may be carried on : And then.

To address a few words more immediately to the So-
ciety which has honored me with the place I now occupy.
Would that your humble speaker, my sisters, were more
worthy of the task which you have assigned to him ; more
capable of advocating the cause which he undertakes !

But not to occupy time with apologies, let me proceed
as proposed.

I. To offer some considerations in favor of the fitness,
the propriety, of female aid, in advancing the progress of
the gospel.

1. In support of our present position, I remark, that
females have a deeper interest at stake, in regard to the pro-
gress and influence of the gospel, than has the other sex.
With respect to the ultimate destination of mankmd, the
interest, it will be admitted, is common, and may be con-
sidered equal. None of us, it is presumed, are disposed
to adopt the abominable theory of Mahomet, that women
have no souls, and so have no place in paradise ; and that
a certain species of females, called Houries, all made of
mu^, and having black eyes as large as saucers, will
amply supply their places ! From such fantastic and wicked
fooleries the gospel of Christ has abundantly secured us.
Yes ; in regard to the future destination of mankind, there
is a common and an equal interest. Wrecked here in the
same storm, and reserved by the same Redeemer, male and
female become " One in Christ ;" all actuated by the same
faith ; all cheered by the same hope ; all looking forward,

214 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

when life's voyage shall be over, to gain the same haven
of repose, and forever to rest together in the Paradise of
God. And shall not our sisters be allowed to bear some
hum1)le part in the progress of the gospel — in speeding on
the life-boat which is to land us, safe from the storms of
the world and from the wreck of death, in the peaceful
haven of eternal rest % Surely, surely !

But I have said that females have a deeper interest at
stake than the other sex, in regard to the progress and in-
fluence of the gospel. This respects the state of things
in this world, particularly the social and domestic state of
women. And who that is competent to judge, will, for a
moment, question this 1 Cast your eyes, dear friends,
over the civil and moral map of the world, and compare !
See in heathen and Mahometan countries, woman de-
graded, trampled on, by the brutal power of tyrant man ! —
made a servile drudge to minister to his passions and his
luxury. What wonder that maternal affection, one of the
strongest cords that bind the species together, should it-
self be overcome, and that female infants, under the pros-
pect of the miserable lot which await them, should by
their own mothers be exposed to death ! But turn your
eyes now to Christian countries, and see, in proportion as
the gospel, the sun-light of heaven, sheds its sacred and
benign influence — see the lot and condition of woman
brightening ! — see her lifted from the dust of degradation,
and from being the servile drudge, made the rational com-
panion of man ! — elevated to her queenly place at the
right hand of the domestic throne ; and (where her mind
is cultivated) surrounded with a halo of moral and intel-
lectual lustre ; all the graces and the charities of domestic
life gamboling around her feet ! " Look on this picture,
then on thatf and let me ask again, shall not our sisters

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 215

be allowed to bear a part in furthering a cause in which
they have so deep an interest ? Surely, surely.

2. I offer the remark that woman's symimthy is quicker
and livelier, and stronger than that of man ; and sympa-
thy, it will be admitted, is a powerful instrument in reli-
gious action. I except, indeed, from this category those
cases, {rare ones, I trust,) where women can be found
proof against all the appeals of misery and wretchedness —
their feminine nature perverted — the "milk of human
kindness" turned into gall — the benevolent feelings ex-
changed for " the poison of asps." History presents us
with some dark pictures of this sort ; and we may possibly
have seen here and there an instance, where some of
these hideous features have started forth. But I speak
not of such as these ; I speak of the sex in general — of
those who deserve the name of ivoman^ when I say that
woman's sympathy is quicker, and livelier, and stronger
than that of man. If it were deemed requisite, by way
of confirmation, to illustrate this point, w^e might refer,
amongst numerous other instances in sacred history, to
the cases of Pharaoh's daughter, Esther, the penitent
woman who anointed the Saviour's feet, and wiped them
with her hair, and to the pious women who constantly
ministered to him ; and in profane history to the siege of
Calais, &c.

And now, let me ask you, my friends, shall not these
sympathies, so quick, and lively, and strong, have room
for action in that cause which involves the temporal and
eternal well-being of the human race ? I trust, indeed,
they may.

3. Will you be startled if I venture to remark, that
woman's fortitude— A. will add a stronger word — courage ;
woman's fortitude and courage are capable, in some cases, of

216 SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

bearing more, of achieving more, than these exercises ha^'e
been found to do in man! And fortitude^ and a species of
courage^ are certainly requisite in the operations of reli-
gion. Yes ; while a shrinking timidity floats on the sur-
face of woman's mind, deep in her bosom's care, to be
drawn forth by the exigency of the case, there lies a forti-
tude, ay, an indomitable courage^ which, on some occa-
sions, might well put to shame the heroism of boasting,
vaporing man ! Exemplifications of this position might
be amply produced from the Bible. Let it suffice, how-
ever, to direct your attention to the last scenes in the his-
tory of our suffering Lord. In that fearful tragedy, when
the sympathies and the courage were overcome by their ter-
rors, and tlieij " forsook him and fled," you see looman
acting a conspicuous part in favor of the Divine Sufferer.

" Not sJie with trait'rous kiss the Saviour stmuj ;
Not she deny'd him with unholy tongue ;
Slie^ while apostles shrank, could danger brave,
Last at his cross, and earliest at his grave."

To. the cases recorded in scripture might be added a
bright catalogue of examples from the annals of the Church,
through different ages, down to modern times. Among
these as coming more immediately under our notice, I just
mention the case of the devoted Mrs. Judson : signally
devoted to her husband, supremely devoted to her Re-
deemer. I cannot enter into detail. Read in the biogra-
phy of this sainted woman an account of the unyielding
fortitude with which she bore her fatigues and sufferings
while acting the part of a " ministering angel" to her perse-
cuted husband, languishing in cruel imprisonment in Bur-
mah ; and behold, too, the unflinching courage with which
she fliced the most appalling dangers, at that fearful crisis,

SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 217

when the missionaries hourly expected the stroke of death !
Read, my sisters, yes, and my brethren, too, read and catch
a fresh portion of that spirit which animated her gentle,
but heroic bosom.

4. Let me remark that woman's affection is, generally
speaking, more deep and abiding than that of man. Un-
wearied labor is the fruit of strong and abiding affection ;
and when the exercise of this affection, and when this
" labor of love" are carried into the cause of Christ, who
will deny that a powerful influence may thus be exerted,
and that happiness may be produced ? And, accordingly,
as we might reasonably calculate in this case, so do we
find the effects to be. Wherever woman's influence has
been shed in the cause of the gospel, I mean while acting
in her proper place, there that influence has been felt, and
there its fruits have been seen.

Were it requisite to illustrate and confirm this position,
that woman's affection is, in general, more deep and abiding
than that of man, I should attempt it by an appeal to her
devotedness in certain of the relations of life, particularly
in those of wife and mother. I do not deem it necessary ;
yet, I cannot forbear, under the first relation, to remind
you of the case of Mrs. Judson, already noticed ; and under
the second, to refer you to a remarkable instance, in which
maternal affection is exhibited in so transcendent, so pathetic
a manner, that he who can read it unmoved, scarcely de-
serves the name of man. This case you will find recorded
in the xxi. chapter of 2d. Samuel : " When the seven sons
of Saul were given up to death, as an atonement for the
cruelties inflicted on the Gibeonites by him, and his bloody
house, and were hanged up as a public spectacle, Rizpah,
the mother of two of them, spread sackcloth on a rock just
by, which she made her resting-place ; and there did this

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poor bereaved and devoted creature take up her abode ;
and there did she guard, with unwearied vigilance, the
dead bodies of her sons, from the birds by day, and from
the beasts by night ; and there did she continue to occupy
her place, from the commencement of harvest, when the
execution took place, till the autumnal rains came down,
and till the bodies of these wretched victims were taken
away and buried."

Pass we now to notice,

II. Some of the methods or means by which this good
work may be carried on, or by which female effort may be
brought to bear on the progress of the gospel. And here,
I remind you, that as already understood, it is not by
public preaching. There is a good sort of people in the
Christian world, called Friends or Quakers, amongst whom
may be found, as far as my observation has extended,
more female public speakers than r}iale. But, whatever
countenance these people may conceive the scriptures to
give them in regard to this practice, it wdll not, I presume,
be pretended, that there is in the New Testament history
of the Church, any example on record of a woman's going
forth to preach. It belongs not to woman's province
voluntarily to stand forth before the public gaze, in the
attitude of a teacher of the world. She occupies the place
of the modest violet, not that of the lofty pine ; she sheds
her influence like the moon, shining with soft and silver ra-
diance, rather than, like the sun, flinging abroad a burning,
dazzling splendor ; and her operations are not those of the
mountain cataract, rushing on with noise and vehemence,
but those rather of the silent stream which winds along the
meadow, marking its course by the verdure which smiles
on its banks.

Well, then, the question recurs : In what way, or by

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 219

what means and methods, shall female influence be brought
to bear on the progress of the gospel 1 To aid your reflec-
tions on this point, is my present object. And,

1. I remark, beginning on the smaller scale, that
each individual female, as well as each individual of the
other sex, carries with her, so to speak, an atmosphere of
influence, the eflfects of which may be felt by all those who
come within its immediate range : I mean, by all those
where a personal acquaintance to any extent may have
taken place. The domestic circle, and the social circle, in
which the individual may move, both exemplify the posi-
tion here taken. Now, this influence, as far as it extends,
brought to bear on the great object before us, in the con-
versation and the conduct of the individual in favoring, or
in advocating the interests of religion, becomes, under the
blessing of God, an effectual means for promoting the pro-
gress of the gospel. But,

2. Let us contemplate a wider sphere of action, a larger
circle, in which this influence may consistently operate.
And to such an enlarged sphere the apostle seems to
allude, by designating a particular class of females : " help
those women who labored," &c. Some sacrifice, some more
special effort, as having distinguished these women, seems
here to be implied. And this, we think, may be exempli-
fied in the aid afforded by female benevolence in missionary
operations. No person who has read, or who has been
informed, of the services rendered to the Christian cause, by
the wives of missionaries, and by other females who have
joined the mission family, can doubt whether the position
we have here taken, be indeed a tenable one. Schools
have been instituted by these devoted " handmaids of the
Lord," in which heathen children have been brought together
to receive instruction in the elements of human learning,

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and at the same time in the great first principles of the
Christian Religion : thus letting in the light of heaven
on minds wrapped in the deepest moral darkness ; and
sowing the seeds of knowledge, to spring up in a blessed
harvest of heavenly fruit. Heathen females, brought into
contact with our female missionaries, have had the glorious
subject of redeeming mercy presented to their notice in
the way of conversation ; while the burdens of those who
are engaged in the public work of the mission, have been
lightened by the sympathies of these companions in the
" labor of love."

It is, however, comparatively few who can be thus en-
gaged.

What say we of pious females here amongst us 1 How
can they bear a part in missionary operations 1 I answer,
not directly^ indeed, but indirectly ; yet, not on that
account inefficiently. And I feel a pleasure in pointing
to this society, " The Haseltine Missionary Society of
King and Queen," as furnishing an example and illustra-
tion in support of our view. How are those more imme-
diate operations abroad to be sustained 1 Chiefly by the
efforts of such as are here at home. Just as necessary
to the immediate object are these efforts, as are the small
rills of water to the supply of the great reservoir. And
this society, since its institution in 1834, has not failed to
send forth its tributary streams — its prayers, its influence
in favor of the good cause, and the product of its handi-
work, along with other contributions, to the amount of
more than one hundred dollars a year.

And now, dear friends, I consider myself exempt from
the necessity of a farther prosecution of this task — from
any farther attempt to show that there are methods and
means by which female effort may be brought to bear

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 221

upon the progress of the cause of Christ m the world, and
by which woman may be considered as laboring with us
in the gospel.

It remains for me, as proposed, to address a few words
more immediately to the ladies composing this society.

And first, my sisters, permit me to congratulate you on
your adoption of an enterprise so noble, so benevolent,
so angelic. Yes, I say so angelic. " The angels in
heaven rejoice over one sinner that repenteth ;" and when
the Saviour was born, the joyful event drew these happy
spirits down to our world to announce the tidings. It
strung and tuned their harps to high and heavenly strains ;
while the plains of Bethlehem were brightened with celes-
tial splendor, and the ears of humble shepherds were re
galed with heaven's own harmony ! And you, my sisters,
are engaged in rolling on the same happy tidings ; in an-
nouncing a Saviour, not, indeed, to shepherds, wrapped in
the shades of night, but to heathen nations, wrapped in the
deeper shade of moral darkness and death.

May I, by offering you encouragement in your work,
do something towards a compliance with the injunction in
the text — " Help those women who labored with me," &c.

Secondly — You will not deem it flattery when I say,^
that you possess, and properly possess, a powerful influ-
ence over the other sex. Now, allow me to say, with all
possible respect, that it is a matter of high import,
that this influence be wielded in the best manner. —
You see in our first mother. Eve, a sad example of its
abuse. " She gave unto her husband, and he did eat."
" Earth felt the wound," &c. But woman is redeemed
from this odium ; yes, amply redeemed. " Hail, Mary !"
Not the Catholic idolatrous " Ave Maria ora pro ?iobis"
&c., &c. Yes, and pardon my admonition ; you are

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prepared, I fully trust, to wield this influence in the best
of causes.

Finally — Your reward shall not be lost. He who re-
members the bestowal of " a cup of cold water" will not
forget you, &c.

Would to heaven that, in the close, we might make
some impression on our unconverted friends ! Dear
friends, shall all these labors be lost as it respects your
case ? Mournful thought, that the message of salvation
should fly over your heads to the heathen, and leave you
to sink down into darkness, death, and eternal despair !

Faith.— Eom. V. 1. " Justified by faith." How? In-
strumentally ; not by faith as constituting our justifica-
tion. Thus, Luke viii. 48, " Thy faith hath made thee
whole," obviously as an instrument. Christ was the effi-
cient cause. Faith does not justify or save us by virtue
of any excellence in itself; but it justifies us instrumen-
tally, because by it we receive and rely on Jesus, and his
all-prevailing blood and merits. If the excellence of the
grace were to justify us, love would rather do this than/azVA.

Faith is illustrated in the scriptures by various ex-
pressions and representations. Receiving : John i. 12.
Loolcing : Isa. Ixv. 22. John iii. 14, 15. Flying for Re-
fuge : Heb. vi. 18. Coining : John vi. 35. Submission :
Rom. X. 3. Is the mere believing, or assenting to the
proposition that Jesus Christ is the appointed Messiah —
is this receiving Christ 1 is this coming to Christ 1 flying
for refuge — submitting to Christ?

Fearers of God. — Then they that feared the Lord
spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and
heard it; and a book of remembrance was written before
him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 223

his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord, in that
day when I make up my jeioels ; and I will spare them as a
man spareth his oiun son that serveth him. Mai. iii. 16
and 17.

(Read from verse 13 to the end of the chapter.)
There is often much importance to be attached to little
words ; they frequently have a strong bearing on the sen-
tence. It is so in this text, with respect to the word
" then.'' " Then they that feared the Lord," &c. When ?
At a season of abounding, prevailing- wickedness ; when
rebellion against God lifted its brazen front, and infidelity
said it was " vain to serve God," and daring impiety ap-
plauded the " proud," and promoted the workers of wick-
edness ; then, when the current was so strong against
them — " then they that feared the Lord, spake often one to
another."

This, dear -friends, is the test of true religion — of genu-
ine faith and unflinching zeal ; when in " the time that tries
men's souls," the heart continues firm for God and his
cause.

Let us, in a discussion of our subject, consider
The character here spoken of: " they that feared the
Lord ;" their employment as here mentioned : they
" spake often one to another ;" and the condescending and
gracious notice which God takes of them, expressed here
in several particulars : " the Lord hearkened and heard,
and a book of remembrance was written," &c., " and they
shall be mine, and I will spare them," &c. Let us see^
dear friends, whether we shall be found in that fivored
class, towards whom such wonderful grace is manifested
on the part of God. We notice,

I. The character here presented to view — " they that
feared the Lord."

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Fear is one of the natural passions or feelings belong-
ing to man, and properly excited and put in action, has
its use and good effect in the concerns of life ; but, like the
other passions or affections of fallen man, it is often exer-
cised in an improper manner. Here we are to speak of
fear in a religious sense — the fear of God : " they that
feared the Lord."

It does seem, indeed, that there are some who do not
in any sense fear God. "There is no fear of God before
his eyes." Psm. xxx^d. 1. These, of course, cannot be-
long to this class. But there is a sort of religious fear —
not of the right character — not distinguishing the people
of God ; it is termed slavish fear. (Expatiate a little on
this.) This sort of fear is not pleasing to God ; it views
him merely as a God of terror, and cowers from the
stroke of his vengeance !

This kind of fear which distinguishes God's people, we
may term Jilial fear, or that which belongs to a child.
There is, indeed, in this evangelical fear, an awful rever-
ence of God — a dread of offending Him, but mingled
with filial confidence, &c. It is perfectly consistent with
love, as says the poet —

" jPear, sacred passion, ever dwells

"With its fair partner, love ;
Blending their beauties, both proclaim,

Theii' source is from above !"

The slavish fear which we have noticed is akin to the
horror of demons ; the Jilial fear akin to the holy awe of
angels.

But there are other graces of the spirit, it may be said,
belonging to the character of God's people. How is it, then,
that here only one is mentioned ? Yes ; " the fruit of the

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 225

spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, temperance." Gal. v. 22. Here a whole
cluster is presented ; but sometimes one is presented, and
sometimes another. If, however, we can ascertain that
we possess one, we may be assured that we possess all.
Illustrate by a figure. A company, or constellation of
stars, known to be found together ; instance the seven
pointers, so called : some may be beclouded ; if you see
owe, you know all are there.

The genuine fear of God cannot exist in a heart desti-
tute of other graces, and so that exercise or grace serves to
designate the character of God's people. Examine whe-
ther you possess it, I beseech you, and let us come to
speak of the next item proposed ; which is,

II. The employment here noticed : " They spake often
one to another." AVe are not told, indeed, what was the
subject which engaged their attention, but may judge from
the fact, that it attracted the notice, the approving notice
of God.

We need not dwell on this head. The subjects of com-
munication here alluded to, were, no doubt, such as con-
cerned the glory of God and man's highest interest.
They talked, it may be admitted, on other matters, but
these engrossed their hearts, and these attracted the divine
attention : things concerning God, and his holy religion, and
the Word of God, and the exercises of their own hearts, and
the blessedness of God's favor in time and in eternity.

It were to be wished, brethren, that Christians were
more in this habit. How shall we cultivate it 1 By hav-
ing our hearts more deeply imbued with heavenly influ-
ence : " Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh." By becoming more familiar with the Holy
Scriptures, and thus furnishing ourselves with subjects, &c.
10*

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Let us considei',

III. The condescending and gracious notice which God
takes of these characters. This is expressed in several
particulars : " The Lord hearkened and heard — " a book of
remembrance written," &c.

Notice here, my friends, the striking and beautiful gra-
dation hi this representation. We may imagine this little
group of pious characters gathered together in the midst
of abounding iniquity. God passes by, and his attention
is arrested. He stops, so to speak — He stops to observe ;
He hearkens ; He hears ; He records ; He promises. Re-
mark how these several steps go on growing and rising !
God's conduct is here represented after the mamier of
men. First, He puts himself into a listening attitude : " He
hearkens." Then he catches the words of the conversa-
tion : " He hears." Determined to show that it shall not
be forgotten, He records : " A book of remembrance was
written." And then, to crown all, so pleased is God with
these characters, and the subjects of their conversation,
that he promises glorious things in their behalf: "They
shall be mine, saith the Lord, in that day," &c. " And I
will," &c. Let us pay some special attention to these
" precious promises :" " They shall be mine, saith the
Lord." The world says, they shall be mine. No,
says the Lord, "they shall be mine." Satan says, they
shall be mine. No ; " they shall be mine, saith the Lord,
in that day when I make up my jewels." The?i it shall
clearly be seen,

God's people are his jewels.

Making up jewels may be taken in two senses.

1. God will gather them all together.

2. As a goldsmith makes up his jewels, by polishing
and setting them in gold, God will set all his jewels in

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, 227

cups of gold — bodies glorious, like the glorified body of
Christ.

" And I will spare them." Spare them from the ven-
geance which will flill, in that great burning day, on an
ungodly world.

" As a man spareth his own son that serveth him."

Observe here, again, a beautiful gradation. Not a
stranger^ but a " son.'''' Not a mere adopted son, but his
" oivn son," And not merely that.^ but " his own son
that serveth him :" " I will spare them, as a man spareth
liis own son that serveth him."

Now, suppose the case, that a fearful storm has arisen,
and the wind is beginning to blow, and the forked light-
ning is flashing, and the thunder is rolling ; and in the
midst of this tremendous scene, the affectionate and obe-
dient little boy is running towards his father's house, to
escape the storm. Say now, would not the father open his
door % And what saith the Lord 1 "I will spare them
as a man spareth his own son that serveth him."

Such, dear friends, is a faint sketch of the privileges
and blessings promised to those whom God approves.

(Apply.)

God in the Character of an Adversary or War-
rior.— Who art thou that contendest with Gnod, poor
diminutive mortal, that canst lift thy head but a few feet
above the surface of the earth ! Lift up thine eyes to-
ward the face of God, where it shines high in the heaven
of heavens ! Look down at his feet, reaching to hell, and
treading the victims of his vengeance ! See that arm
nerved with Almighty vigor ! Behold the shield that
shades creation ! See the lightning of his glittering spear.

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and hear the thunder of that voice -which shakes the
world ! Say, art thou able to cope with Jehovah ?

Glory of the Latter House.* — " The silver is mine
and the gold is mine^ saith the Lord of hosts. The glory
of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith
the Lord of hosts ; and in this place will I give peace,
saith the Lord of hosts ^ — Haggai ii. 8, 9.

The text is a part of the prophetic address, directed to
Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the High Priest,
and to the residue, or remnant, of the Jews, who had re-
turned from the captivity, with a view to their encourage-
ment in the undertaking to rebuild the Temple at Jeru-
salem.

In this undertaking, they met with much difficulty and
discouragement : difficulty, from the opposition of ene-
mies ; discouragement, from the unpromising prospect, as
to the magnificence of the new building ; ver. 3 : " Who
is left among you that saw this house in her first glory 1
And how do you see it now ? Is it not in your eyes, in
comparison of it, as nothing f Then he adds, ver. 4 :
" Yet now be strong," &c.

The promise in the text of a superior glory for this
second temple, cannot have respect to magnificence and
splendor ; for, in this respect, it was confessedly inferior.

In regard to its appurtenances, too, it lacked, as the
Jews acknowledge, several illustrious objects : the ArTc,
the Urim and Thummim, the Fire from Heaven, and the
Shechinah, or visible glory of God.

This superior glory, then, consisted in the personal pre-
sence of the Messiah, the promised Redeemer, the Son of

* Preached at the dedication of a new house of worship for
Sharon Church, King William County, Va. — Ed.

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 229

God. See verses 6 and 7 : " For thus saith the Lord of
Hosts : yet once it is a little while, and I will shake the
heavens and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land ; and
I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall
come ; and I will fill the house with glory, saith the Lord of
Hosts."

Now, this promise had its fulfilment in the convulsions
and revolutions which took place amongst the nations ;
particularly the Jewish nation revolutionized, &c. ; and
in the actual coming of him here called, " the Desire of
all nations."

In the text, God asserts his right to the treasures of the
world ; his right to call for them, and to use or apply them
•as far as He sees fit : " The earth is the Lord's, and the
fullness thereof" Some would seem as if they disputed
this right with the Sovereign of the world. God asserts
his right, while he plainly intimates that the glory of this
temple shall not depend on the expenditure of earthly
riches : " The silver is mine, &c. The doctrine may be
expressed in this general proposition or statement. The
true glory of a place of worship consists not in external
pomp and splendor, but in the presence of Jesus Christ,
whence proceeds this most desirable communication, the
gift of peace.

This general statement, you may observe, comprises
three parts, viz. : In what this glory does not con-
sist ; in what it does consist, and the blessing resulting
from it. These are the divisions of our subject.

I. The true glory of a place of worship consists not in
external pomp and splendor.

Under the legal dispensation, the spiritual truths of
religion were, for the most part, veiled under types and
emblematic representations. The intrinsic glory and ex-

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cellence of these truths were not brought to light ; and as
they were conceived of through this external medium, God
saw proper that these veils or coverings should be such as
to strike the senses in a powerful and impressive manner,
so as to convey to the mind some idea of the importance,
and excellence and glory of the objects represented.
Accordingly, we find in the Jewish ceremonial, and in all
the furniture appertaining to their worship, much of pomp
and show, and solemn parade.

The magnificence and splendor of the temple ; the gor-
geous robes of the High Priest, and all the trappings of
the priesthood ; the furniture of the temple, and the cere-
monial of the temple-service ; how solemn and imposing,
and how well calculated to strike the senses, &c. !

Knowing, however, the disposition of carnal nature to
take up mth externals, and stop at mere sensible objects,
the great King, from time to time, gave them admonitions
and warnings on this point. See Isa. ii. 17.

When God descended on Mount Sinai, there was a
grand scene ! [Expatiate.] This was enough to eclipse
the temple, the work of men's hands. But what was Mount
Sinai to this ? The eternal heaven his throne ! The globe of
the earth his footstool ! In how sublime a manner does
the Eternal King check the vain-glorious conceit of this
carnal people, with regard to their boasted temple ! Isa.
Ixvi. 1 : " Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool : where is the house that ye
build unto me ? And where is the place of my rest V
[Expatiate on this passage.] The temple ! what has be-
come of it 1

In this way did God proceed to correct their false views :
causing all their boasted pomp and grandeur to dwindle
into insignificance ; inviting their attention away from the

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 231

mere objects of sense to those of a spiritual character, and
teaching them to estimate moral worth and real goodness,
according to the standard of righteousness and truth.

Hence in the same 66th of Isaiah, from which I have
quoted, the Lord assures these people that his estimate is
very different from theirs : " But to this man will I look,
even to him who is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trem-
bleth at my word." Here is the object that attracts the
divine regard.

We see m the course which the great Disposer pursued,
a gradual removing of the external objects by which
religion had been represented, and in their place the intro-
duction of some object of incomparably greater worth.
Thus, in regard to the second temple, &c.

Preparation was thus made for the introduction of the
Gospel Dispensation, in that plain, neat garb she wore,
&c. When the wonderful child made his appearance in
the world, the circumstances under w^hich he was born
seem to have been designed to mock the vain and foolish
ideas, that earthly pomp can recommend us, or our ser-
vices, to the Creator of all worlds.

The Jewish Dispensation, thus gorgeously bedecked,
and in carnal form, passed off, and gave place to the
Christian Economy, in her plain dress, and spiritual
features, approaching nearer to heavenly perfection. But
does the world o^ nominal Christians love the features and
the garb of this more spiritual Economy 1 No ! alas, no !
You see, amongst too many, the love of human forms and
traditions ; and you see in Popery a mass of ceremonies,
rivalling the Jewish ritual ; a thing, w^hich they call
Christianity, tricked off, " flounced and farbelowed" by the
arts of designing priests, to strike the senses, to please the
fancy of some, and impose on the ignorance of others.

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Alas ! for Christianity ! what injury has she not suffered
from those who have usurped the name !

Among these, (and Protestants are not all of them clear
of the charge, creeping at an humble distance behind,) the
church walls have a degree of holiness ; and the more
magnificent and splendid the Cathedral, the better God is
pleased, and the more favor he will show.

It is right and proper, it is requisite^ as far as we are
able, to provide a place for the worship and service.of God :
a decent place, a convenient and commodious place, if we
can ; one suited to the service in which we engage, and
in which we may wait on God without distress or dis-
turbance.

It is a sacred duty : " The silver is mine, and the gold
is mine, saith the Lord of Hosts ;" and you have done well,
brethren and friends, in providing such a place for such a
purpose.

It is an offering to God, w^hich, I trust, He will graciously
accept, and will manifest amongst you his kind approbation.
But I am confident you will never idolize a house, nor
think that God can be acceptably worshiped only within
consecrated walls. Let us bear in mind our Lord's in-
structions to the woman of Samaria. See John iv. 23, 24 :
" The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth ; for the
Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit :
and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit
and in truth." Yes,—" Thou didst prefer,"

" Above all temples, the upright heart and true."

It is time we pass to the second proposition :
II. The true glory of a place of worship consists in the
presence of Jesus Christ.

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 233

This^ we say, constituted the superior glory of the second
temple over that of the first, with all its advantages of
external pomp and magnificence. Jesus Christ appeared
while the second temple was standing ; appeared in that
temple ; and thus God " filled that house with glory."
And thus, too, was literally fulfilled that promise, MaL
iii. 1 : " The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to
his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye
delight im behold He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts."
You see him brought into the temple in his infancy, as the
first born, &c., attracting the prophetic regard of Simeon
and Anna. You see him at twelve years of age, disputing
in the temple, &c. You hear him claiming the temple as
his Father's house ; and you often find him there instruct-
ing the people, and healing the diseased.

This constitutes one of our substantial evidences, that
the Messiah has come ! In vain are the Jews looking out,
&c. Jesus Christ appeared in the second temple ; and
this constituted the superior glory of " this latter house."
Truly was it rendered glorious by the personal presence of
this divine occupant ! Hark ! to the prophetic song of
Simeon ! " A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory
of thy people Israel." And hear the testimony of the
beloved John : " We beheld his glory ! the glory as of
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
Yes, brethren and friends, this was the glory of the second
temple ; and this, we say, constitutes the true glory of a
place of worship. But how, it may be asked, is this ?
Jesus Christ is not now personally and visibly present.
But, brethren, you can have no difficulty on this point.
The presence of Jesus Christ may be considered in several
respects : In the divinity of his nature. He is present every
where and always. In the fleshy He was present for thirty

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odd years on earth. In his glorified humanity^ He is pre-
sent in the third heaven. And in his gracious influence, He
is present with his people, here, " in the house of their
pilgrimage."

Now, it is in this last respect that we speak of his pre-
sence, when we say, it constitutes the true glory of a place
of Christian worship. It is the gracious ^j>7*€6'f??ce of our
Redeemer, promised to his people, who wait upon him, and
worship God " in spirit and in truth." " Wlj^e two or
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the
midst of them ;" " I will not leave you comfortless ; I will
come to you," whether in a temple or under the open
skies, whether in a church or a barn, there will He meet
with them ; and every place where He comes is hallowed
ground. Nay, not only with a company of believers, but
with the solitary individual whose heart is devoted to him :
Peter, chained in prison, or praying on the house-top ; Paul,
in a trance at Jerusalem ; or John, an exile in the island of
Patmos. Brethren, may you often meet with him, when
assembled in this house, and find him with you in retire-
ment and seclusion !

Let us inquire a little, why the presence of Jesus Christ
should be considered the chief glory of a place of Christian
worship %

1. Because of the excellence and perfection of his cha-
racter. If the presence of an illustrious, dignified, and
highly accomplished personage adorns a circle in human
Society, what shall we say of him, the Prince of Glory,
" in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and know-
ledge," in whom " dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily V What an honor must it reflect to have him in
our midst, gracing our assembly with his presence, and
owning us as his associates and friends !

2. Because the gracious presence of Christ is a source of

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 235

the purest and most heartfelt enjoyment : " Full of grace
and truth ;" full of heavenly bliss ; and we may receive
from his fullness —

" When Christ, with aU his graces crowned,

Sheds his kind beams abroad,
'Tis a young heaven on earthly ground.

And glory in the bud."

3. The presence of Christ is the true glory of the place,
as it operates to produce a conformity to him. And this,
brethren, is the Christian's brightest ornament : " We
shall be like him," &c.

4. The presence of Christ is the great efficient cause of
the in-gathering of souls to God, and the growth and
stability of Zion. How rich, above all price, that promise :
— " Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the
world." It is hence, that " the gates of hell shall not
prevail against" the Church. O, brethren, let the earnest
desires of your souls be for his presence !

" By prayer let us wrestle, and he will perform ;
With Christ in the vessel, we smile at the storm."

On these accounts, then, — on account of the honor it con-
fers, the heartfelt enjoyment which it communicates, the
conformity to him which it produces, and the increase and
stability of Zion which it causes, — on all those accounts the
gracious presence of Jesus Christ is the true glory of
Christian worship. What a lovely sight in the eyes of
angels even, an assembly of devoted Christians, with Christ
in their midst !

" White lilies all around appear,

And each his glory shoAvs !
The Rose of Sharon blossoms here,

The fairest flower that blows."

236 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

Let the " Lady of Babylon," the Popish Dame, have
her magnificent Cathedrals ! her splendid altars ! her
solemn masses ! her blazing candles ! her holy water ! her
gorgeous vestments ! her idol images ! her smoking incense !
and her retinue of priests, half Jewish, half pagan — with
all her grimace and mummery ! Let the Lady of Babylon
have all this trumpery, and more too ; and let her glory in
all this, though stained with the blood of martyrs. But let
the Bride of Christ glory in him, and in the high and holy
privilege of his favor and presence. I come,

III. And lastly, to notice the blessing consequent upon
the enjoyment of Christ's gracious presence : "peace," the
gift of God. " In this place will I give peace, saith the
Lord of Hosts." A brief notice of this promise, precious
as it is, must now suffice.

This promise does not appear to have been literally
fulfilled to the Jews, in regard to their national condition,
under the second temple. As far as the sacred record
goes, and according to the most authentic historical
accounts, they experienced turmoil and trouble from the
opposition of enemies. The promise, therefore, looks
forward to that spiritual peace which was preached by
Jesus Christ, the glory of the second temple. In tliis^ and
in the communication of that peace which his gracious pre-
sence in the Church afibrds, the promise has its fulfilment.

Now, here is a blessmg of incalculable worth. With-
out peace, what enjoyment in life 1 Peace of the country ;
peace in the family ; peace in the Church ; peace in one's
own heart — arising from peace with God. There is a
false peace ; but when God gives peace, it is peace indeed,
characterized by the apostle as the " peace of God, that
passeth all understanding !" And the Lord says : " In
this place / will give peace." In giving Christ he gives

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 237

peace. The penitent sinner here finds peace with God
through faith in Jesus Christ. The Christian here finds
peace in his heart by communion with God. And here is
cultivated the spirit of peace with one another, and towards
mankind. This was the blessing sung by angels when Christ
was born, and bequeathed by him when he left his disciples.

Let me beseech you, my unconverted friends, not to
spurn away from you this incalculable blessing. * * *

If, now, brethren, you estimate, in any due degree, the
blessing which God here promises to give, as we trust you
do, you will give practical evidence of it in the course
which you pursue. * * -5^ *

May the Lord of Hosts give peace in this place ! And
with the apostle's exhortation, I conclude — " Finally, breth-
ren, farewell. Be perfect ; be of good comfort ; be of one
mind ; live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall
be with you."

Invulnerable* Christians are so in a certain sense.
It was said, among other fables of the heathen, that
Achilles, the famous Grecian hero, was dipped in the river
of Styx, by which he was rendered invulnerable, except
in the heel, by which his mother held him. May we not
sanctify this thought ? May we not say, that Christians,
dipped in the river of redeeming love, are invulnerable ex-
cept in the heel, the inferior part, the mortal nature 1 Here
they may be bruised, as was the Captain of their salva-
tion ; but like Him, they shall bruise the head of the old
serpent ; or, rather, Christ " will bruise Satan under their
feet."

* Note. — Instead of the above word '* Invulnerable," use some
other in preaching ; let the language of the pulpit be plain and
simple. — [Ed.

238 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

Infidelity. — Christians subject to suggestions of this
sort. Let not the real infidel, however, avail himself of
this. Christians have some remains of depravity. There
is, perhaps, nothing to wMch they may not be tempted;
yea, even tempted sometimes to question the very foun-
dation of all religion, the existence of the Supreme Jeho-
vah ! Yet there is a radical difference between their exer-
cises of this sort, and those of a professed infidel, as there
is between the struggle Christians have arising from nature
and grace, and that of the wicked arising from lust and
conscience. The Christian may be tempted to fear that
religion may prove a delusion, and he stri\?es against that
fear : the infidel feels an apprehension it may prove true,
and he strives against that. So, also, the Christian loves
the light of truth, and hates sin : the wicked man hates the
light of truth, and loves sin. Both have a struggle ; but
the cause is quite different. In one, grace is set up to fight
against nature ; in the other, lust or depravity, to fight
against conscience.

Inspiration — all Scripture given by it. — " And pro-
fitable for doctrme, for reproof, for correction, for instruc-
tion in righteousness." — 2 Tim. iii. 16.

The scriptures exactly adapted to the exigencies of man.
He is in darkness : here is doctrine to enlighten him. He
sins against God : here is reproof to awaken him. He is
out of the way : here is correction to set him right. He is
ignorant : here is instruction in righteousness for his in-
formation.

Judicious Manner of our Lord's Speaking. — How
admirably adapted to the occasion ! We may say, in-
deed : " Never man spake like this man." Instances :

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 239

The manner in which he repelled the temptations of Sa-
tan. The Beatitudes : every promised blessing, how adapted
to the case, or character. — Matt. v. 1 — 10.

When the Pharisees accused him of eating with pub-
licans artd sinners : " They that be whole need not a
physician," &;c. Ch. ix. 11, 12.

When the Pharisees questioned, " Is it lawful to heal
on the Sabbath day V He answered with the case of a
sheep fallen into a pit : " How much then is a man better
than a sheep V Ch. xi. 10—13.

When they charged him with casting out devils through
Beelzebub : " Every kingdom divided against itself is
brought to desolation." And, again, " How can one enter
into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he
first bind the strong man. Ch. xii. 24 — 29.

When the Scribes and Pharisees asked him : " Why
do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders f
&c., he retorted : " Why do ye also transgress the com-
mandment of God by your tradition f Ch. xv. 1, 2, &c.

When the Chief Priests and elders asked him, " By
what authority doest thou these things, and who gave thee
this authority f He replied by another question : " The
baptism of John, whence was it f &c. Ch. xxi. 23 — 27.

The disciples of the Pharisees with the Herodians,
wishing to entangle him in his talk, desired to know whe-
ther it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar. Observe,
they were Pharisees and Herodians. They attempted, too,
to flatter him into the snare.

Remark our Lord's answer. Ch. xxii. 15 — 22.

Then the Sadducees tried him on the doctrine of the re-
surrection, stating a difficulty which they thought insur
mountable.

His answer : " Ye do err," &c. Ch. xxii. 23 — 30.

240

NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

Then again the Pharisees tried him by a question on
the law ; ver. 36—40.

Now our Lord, in his turn, propounds a question :
"What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?" Mark
how they are puzzled and silenced! ver. 41 — 46.

Judicious Treatment of Different Cases — As pro-
per in divinity as in medicine. What would we think of
that physician, who should prescribe the same regimen
and remedies in an inflammatory complaint as in a nervous
fever ?

Kingdom of Christ and of Satan Contrasted. — It
is very remarkable that, while the manoeuvres of Satan
are in opposition to the operations of Christ, he has estab-
lished in his kingdom a kmd of mimic representation — a
deformed counterpart of what is found in the Kingdom of
Christ. This appears in a striking manner in the book
called " Eevelation," viz. :

The Kingdom of Christ and of
His saints.

The pure Church of Christ.

Michael and his Angels.

The Lambs.

The Bride, the Lamb's Wife.

Christ's sealed ones.

The Holy City, the new Jeru-
salem

Christ, the King of Kings and
Lord of lords.

The Mystery of Godliness.

Mighty signs and Wonders.

The Kingdom of Satan and his
Power.

The Synagogue of Satan.

The Dragon and his Angels.

The Beast.

The Great Strumpet.

The Marked Slaves of the Beast.

Babylon the Great reigning over
Kings.

The Kings of the Earth, and the
Rulers.

The Mystery of Iniquity.

Signs and Lying Wonders.

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 241

Lamp, God's Word compared to. — " Thy word is a
lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm
cxix. 105. This beautiful metaphor bespeaks the be-
nighted state of the world in a spiritual sense — a state to
which the sacred scriptures bear abundant testimony.
It is represented as a dreary wilderness, Isa. xxxv. 1 ; and
men as benighted travelers. 1 Peter ii. 9. Through the
wilderness of this world lies the path to eternal rest, and
we have great need of a light to guide us in the way.
The word of the Lord is that light, that lamp to our err-
ing feet.

The devil has long blown at this lamp to put it out, but
has not been able. What ! do you think he will yet do
it 1 O, no ! he has had every opportunity, and has raised
many a gust from hell ; but it shines yet, and will shine.
Wicked men have attempted to stamp it out by persecu-
tion, but all in vain.

Deists have blown many a blast from philosophic
mouths, but the heavenly lamp still shines ! And why 1
It is lighted from the altar above, fed by the oil of divine
truth, and preserved by him who " holds the wind in his fist.'*

Love, should be cultivated among Christians, because,

1. Countrymen, thrown together in a foreign country,

2. Members of the same family,

3. Partakers of the same fate : " Have been wrecked
by the same storm, and rescued by the same Redeemer."

Love of God. — Greatness of it to be estimated,
1. By the difficulties, so to speak, which were to be sur-
mounted.

242 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

2. By the expense, or great cost — even the life of his
own Son.

3. By the incalculable blessings which it bestows.

Lawful or Unlawful before God. — Conscience, as
far as enlightened, will give a faithful answer. While,
then, some plead that certain things are not sinful, be-
cause not expressly forbidden by name, let such consider
that nothing is right before God, upon which we cannot
consistently and conscientiously ask his blessing. Let
such, therefore, lay their hands on their hearts, and see if
they can ask God's blessing on their pursuits. As thus,
" Lord, sanctify to me the ball-room I Make the conver-
sation of the people at the Barbacue profitable to me !
May the horse-race prove a blessing, and the gaming-
table promote my good,"* &c. &c.

Murmuring, or Repining at the Dispensations of Pro-
vidence.— If events took place by chance, or by destiny,
to murmur w^ould be absurd, and foolish in the extreme.
But if there be a God to direct them, (and that there is,
all nature cries aloud,) then it is as impious as in the
other case it would be absurd.

* These lines were penned long before the rise of the Temper-
ance Reformation ; and, consequently, long before the evils of
drinking and selling intoxicating drinks were properly felt. Had
these lines fallen f^Om the pen of the author but a short time be-
fore his death, he might, and probably would, have added, for the
moderate drinker : " Lord, bless this beverage to my good — to the
good of the young man who is just forming habits for life, and
who looks upon me as his model — and to the good of my weak-
headed brother, who also takes me as his example, and who can-
not drink at all without being led into excess." And for the seller,
" Lord, send the poor drunkard to my store, my distillery ; starve
his children " — Ed.

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 243

Means, External, Insufficient. — No external means,
or events, can, of themselves, effect the conversion of our
depraved hearts. There are two events to which we may-
appeal on this point. One, a most awful display of God's
justice, viz. : the delivery of the law on Mount Sinai ; the
other, a most glorious manifestation of his grace, viz. : the
death of Jesus Christ on Mount Calvary.

Ministers of Christ. — '''■Let a man so account oftis,
as of the ^ninisters of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries
of God. Moreover, it is required in steivards, that a man
be found faithful,^' 1 Cor. iv. 1, 2.*

In the foregoing chapter, the apostle is remonstrating
against the divisions and factions occasioned by ambitious
teachers. He shows how inconsistent these are with that
unity and harmony which ought to characterize the body
of Christ. And, in conclusion, exposes the folly of such
contentions : how their privileges required no partisan
and exclusive claims. " All are yours." Each one has a
claim to all. " Whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, &c.,
all are yours." The Christian's portion not lessened by
the number of participants.

In the text, the apostle presents the messengers of the
gospel in the light in which they ought to be viewed ; and
hence takes occasion to insist on an important infer-
ence.

Our subject, then, shows us in what character or capa-
city the Gospel Ministry should be considered : " Let a
man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and
stewards of the mysteries of God." " Moreover, it is re-

# Preached in 1848, at Bruington, King and Queen, Va., before
the " Ministers' Conference of the Rappahannock Association." —
Ed.

244 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

quired in stewards, that a man be found faithful." And
these two parts constitute the division of the subject.

Brethren, candor seems to require of me, that, in hold-
ing up the standard at w^hich we are to aim, I should
make the humiliating confession, how lamentably short
I have fallen.

I. We notice the capacity in which ministers are to be
considered : " Let a man so account of us, as of the min-
isters of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God."

" As the ministers of Christ."

Define the term. Minister strictly denotes one who
serves or waits on another ; and in the employ of another.
Joshua is called the minister of Moses, Ex. xxiv. 13.
John, the minister of Paul and Barnabas, Acts xiii.
5 ; and the attendant in the synagogue is called the min-
ister, Luke iv. 20. The term is variously applied in
scripture : to civil officers, Kom. xiii. 6 ; to those who
preach and teach, 1 Cor. iii. 5 ; to angels, Heb. i. 7 ; and
to the Son of God, who " came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister."

You see, then, brethren, in what honorable company
you are ranked : angels and the Son of God himself

In common usage, the term minister is now applied to
certain officers of civil government, and to the preachers
of the gospel ; with this last-mentioned use of the ,.term
we are now concerned.

" Ministers of Christ." As such, they are in his service,
and the service of his Church : " For we preach not our-
selves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your ser-
vants for Jesus' sake."

Reflect, brethren, on the honor of the office. When a
diplomatist, whether ambassador or envoy, appeals on be-
half of his government, vrith what honorable dignity does

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 245

he feel himself invested ! He stands forth the representa-
tive of that government, the majesty of which reflects a
halo around him. But what is this? All of earth —
earthy.

But, ministers of Christ, you have honor indeed. And
remember, brethren, your honor lies in the honor of your
Master. Be it, therefore, your object to honor him. And
how shall we effect this object ? By holding forth the
glory of his person and character ; by using every effort
to advance his kingdom.

O ! how apt are we to let self usurp too large a place
in our feelings ! " Ministers of Christ," I would not say
" ambassadors," a term which seems peculiar to the in-
spired apostles — ^but may w^e not say you are Envoys ; or,
that every minister of Christ may be termed a Charge
d^Affaires, employed to attend to the concerns of the
kingdom, and to press the observance of that treaty
already formed and presented by Heaven's inspired am-
bassadors. And this brings me to our remark on —

The importance of this sacred employment. Herein it
is, my brethren, that we are often found to be sadly de-
ficient. O ! if the objects o? faith operated on us as power-
fully as those of sense ! How important in the eye of
sense, appears the affairs of an earthly government of a
nation, the concerns of this life ! For the statesman, orator,
lawyer, physician, mechanic, merchant, farmer — all are
interested. And what are these but perishing concerns 1
We labor and toil, and we are gone ! and have no more
interest in all beneath the sun. " What shadows we are,
and what shadows we pursue !"

And what are the things, about which, as ministers of
the gospel, you are concerned ? They belong to great
eternity ! " The things which are not seen are eternal."

246 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

They regard man as the subject of a future, final state, in
which eternal misery or everlasting happiness is to be his
portion. Here, then, is a demand for all your energies : —
labors of the mind, labors of the body. On the one hand,
" knowmg the terror of the Lord, we persuade men ;" on
the other, " the love of Christ constraineth us." What a
work is here ! O, for a deep sense of that constraining
love, impelling us onward. O, for a deep sense of the
tremendous terror of the Lord ! Ay, what a work is here !
And yet there are some, who, blindly, selfishly, recklessly,
and full of their own conceit, pursue their course in this

work :

" And fools rush in, where angels
Fear to tread."

But to finish out the character and estimate of the gos-
pel ministry, we observe.

That ministers are to be accounted of, also, as " stewards
of the mysteries of God."

Steward. — One to whom is committed the property and
concerns of another. The term is applied, in scripture, to
the management of earthly property for another man. Gen.
XV. 2, and Luke xvi. L It is also applied to the manage-
ment of such property for God. See the application of
the parable in Luke xvi. And, as in the text and in some
other places, to ministers of the gospel, who manage the
concerns of God's spiritual property, as exhibited in the
gospel, for the benefit of the world and the Church.

" Stewards." — Here, then, is a most important trust
committed to them, involving a serious and heavy respon-
sibility. " Stewards of the mysteries of God." Entrusted
with the sublime and mysterious truths of the gospel, to
be dealt out in order to the conversion of sinners, and the
establishment of believers.

OP THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 247

" The mysteries of God." The great and sublime truths
of the gospel. "But can these be considered," says Dr.
George Campbell, " mysteries after they are revealed V He
readily admits, however, that there is much not fully to
be comprehended, even in those truths which are revealed.
So his remark amounts only to verbal criticism on the
application of the term. I am willing to use the word in our
common acceptation ; and then the true idea appears to
be this : the things revealed are no longer mysteries, con-
sidered as facts, or as truths to be believed ; but considered
in their nature they may be, and many of them really are,
incomprehensible, and therefore mysterious. It is so with
regard to the works of nature ; it is not strange, that it
should be so in revelation. What, shall we not admit and
believe, where we cannot fully understand ? Yes ; we
must adore and believe where we cannot comprehend.

There is a mystery in the very being of the Eternal
One. Eternal ! There is a mystery in reconciling the
eternal purposes of God with the free moral agency of
man. A mystery, O how wonderful ! in the incarnation
of Christ ! " God manifest in the flesh !"

A mystery in the manner in which " sin entered into
the world, and death by sin."

A mystery in the plan of salvation, or the method of
man's recovery. God is manifested in all his glorious per-
fections ; yet the method is a mystery.

There is a mystery in regeneration, and sanctifying in-
fluence : in death and spiritual existence. All these are
facts revealed, truths to be believed. Yet there hangs
around them an awful mystery we cannot penetrate.

II. We notice the duty consequent on this character.
" Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found
faithful."

248 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

Faithfulness is peculiarly requisite here, because the
property is not his own : it is a sacred trust committed to
him by another.

Every man is a steward for God in regard to all his
possessions, and must give an account.

Ministers are stewards in regard to the mysteries of
God ; a peculiar responsibility, therefore, lies on them.

" Faithful.^'' — ^There are two respects in which this faith-
fulness is evinced : in duly guarding the treasure, and in a
right management and distribution of these goods.

1. In guarding, with due care, the treasure committed to
your trust. " Earnestly contend for the faith which was
once delivered unto the saints." " Watch thou in all things."
" Speaking the truth in love." What admirable sentiments !
They deserve to be worn, by us, as mottos !

There is to be no compromise with sin or error : but
some truths are of more vital importance than others.
Some are so involved in difficulty, that all are liable to
mistake in reference to them.

2. In the distribution or dealing out of the goods com-
miitted to your charge. " Who then is that faithful and wise
steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his house-
hold, to give them their portion of meat in due season *?"
The household of Christ require that food should be dealt
out to them, and such as be suited to their dift'erent cases.
They require medicine also. " All scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable, for doctrine, for re-
proof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness : that
the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto
all good works." But not to the Church only, to the world
also, the ministration of the gospel belongs. And here,
" we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty ; not
walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God de-

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 249

ceitfully ; but by manifestation of the truth, commending
ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."
We must declare plainly and fairly the truth, the whole truth,
the state of sinners, the necessity for a change of heart, &c.
There must be no compromise with sin or with sinners^
No mere pi'ofession should satisfy us, &c. " Let a man so
account of us," &;c. A few words of more special application.

Such is the estimate to be formed of the gospel minis-
try : " the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries
of God." " Ministers of Christ ;" but O ! how defectively
have we served our Master in this capacity ! "Stewards
of the mysteries of God !" but, alas ! how far we have
fallen short of that faithfulness which ought to have marked
our character ! Surely, brethren, we have cause of deep
humiliation and self-abasement. Penitence — humble,
earnest prayer for grace. Let us, too, trust in his abound-
ing mercy.

But let it be observed, that the people generally, all^ are
to form this estimate. " Let a man so account of us."
You who are professors, you unconverted, you are to
form this estimate. What solemn attention then is due,
from you, to the ministrations of the gospel ! How great
is your responsibility !

Manna. — The Israelites preferred the flesh-pots of Egypt,
the fish, and melons, and cucumbers, and onions, to the
manna of Heaven. How much better pleased is the mass
of mankind with human learning, with romance, political
harangues, and flourishes of oratory, than with the pure
manna of gospel truth.

More than Conquerors. — " Nay, in all these things,
we are more than conquerors through him that loveth us."
— Rom. viii. 37.

11*

250 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

A remarkable expression ; the crowning of a beautiful
climax. We fight ; not only so — " we endure hardness as
good soldiers." We not only endure — we conquer. Yea,
we not only conquer ; we are more than conquerors. When
may this be said %

1. When we conquer without loss on our part.

2. When we gain by the battle.

Means of Grace, both External and Internal. —
The external, are reading and hearing the word of God,
attending public worship and the ordinances, joining in
public prayer and praise. God is the great agent, and
usually works by means, but ties himself to none, and
sometimes operates without them. Cornelius and his
household received the Holy Ghost while Peter was
preaching ; but Peter was instructed in his duty, m this
case, without any preaching. God opened the heart of Lydia
by Paul's ministry ; but Paul's heart was opened immedi-
ately/ by the hand of God.

Inward means must accompany the outward : these are, —

1. A disposition to prayer.

2. A believing in the power and faithfulness of God in
Christ.

3. A resignation to God's method, &c. We must be
willing to suffer before we rejoice ; to be nailed to the
tree, before we can step on the throne ; to visit Gethsemane,
to watch and pray ; or Mount Calvary, to suffer and die,
before we are brought to Mount Pisgah.

4. A cautious regard to the motions of the Holy Spirit.

Nativity of Jesus Christ. — "For unto you is born
this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 251

the Lord.* Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes, lying in a manger," &c. Luke ii. 10 — 14.

About 4,000 years had now elapsed since God had pro-
nounced the destruction of Satan's power, and the rising
glories of the Redeemer's kingdom. " The seed of the
woman shall bruise the serpent's head." The purpose of
God, with steady, undeviating pace, had moved forward.
Intimations were given by visions, types, figures and pro-
phecies of the coming Saviour. The pregnant decree had
been travailing, and had now come to the birth. The
event, which kings and prophets had desired to see ; which
Old Testament saints had longed to witness ; which Hell
had dreaded ; and to which angels had looked forward with
pleasing anxiety — that glorious event had now taken place :
" A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord," is born.

Why such a lapse of time should take place before the
accomplishment of this glorious promise, before the coming
of the expected Saviour, is best known to Him who dis-
poses of times and seasons according to the counsel of his
own adorable will. But considerations are not wanting to
show, that it was a fit time when Christ did make his
appearance.

1. Sufficient time had been given for prophets at differ-
ent periods, in long succession, to predict his coming, to
point out his appearance, life, death, &c.

2. Sufficient time had also been given for philosophers
to try their systems, men their own devices — to mark the
wretched failure of all human attempts, and the wretched
state into which man was fallen.

3. Mankind, especially those amongst whom Christ

* ' Saviour — Christ — the Lord.' Savioicr shows the end or object of
his coming. Christ, his fitness for the work. Lord, the sove-
reign power and authority with which he executed it.

252 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

came, had become so far civilized and advanced in science,
that they were capable of examining the pretensions of
such a personage as Christ.

At this period, when the Jews had corrupted the true
religion ; when the Gentiles had multiplied their gods, and
were walking in the imagmation of their own hearts ; when
there was a general peace, the Temple of Janus being
shut ; when there was a prevailing expectation of the ap-
pearance of the Messiah, and when the faithful were look-
ing and longing for his appearing — " Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Judea." But how did he make his appear-
ance '? Did he first appear in a populous city '? No ! Was
he born in a palace ? No ! Was he clothed in regal purple?
No ! And did he have the pomp of an earthly king? None
of these ! The little town of Bethlehem ! a stable ! a manger
and horned cattle ! Tliis is the humble story of his birth.

But can this be he who was to rule the nations '? Try.
See if the prophecies will agree to any other. See if they
will not agree in him. Try the prophecies to the character
of Alexander. Try them to Mahomet, &c. Now, apply
them to Jesus Christ.

But though our Saviour made this humble appearance,
he wanted not for attendants of a noble kind. Angels
descended to announce his birth with heavenly songs.
Nature lit up a new star in honor of the event, and wise
men from the east took a journey to do him homage !

Necessity. — If a man acts by absolute necessity, it is
as absurd to say to a rogue, you ought to be honest, as to say
to me, you ought to send a shower of rain on your neigh
bor's plantation.

Nature or Creation — Works of — Though they set
forth the glory of God, they do not, however, exhibit

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 253

his perfections in so glorious a manner as redemp-
tion. Turn your eyes to Mount Calvary, towards the
cross of Christ. What a bright assemblage do you be-
hold around this tree of death, this tree of life! Here
appears Divine Wisdom, that drew the wondrous plan !
Here stands Almighty Power, " heaving the mountain
from a sinking world," and holding the key to unlock and
throw wide open the gates of Paradise. Here you see stern
Justice, his sword bathed in heaven. And here, too, radiant
in beauty, shines sweet Mercy, " shedding tears through
smiles," and holding in her hands pardon and peace for
dying sinners ! O, ye shining stars, thou silver moon,
and blazing sun! this sight shines you all into dark-
ness!

Prayer and Preaching as means of Grace. — The
Arminians accuse those called Calvinists of an absurdity,
in praying, for instance, for efiectual grace to the conver-
sion of sinners ; since this will be given, it seems, in due
time, whether we pray or not. But the Arminians main-
tain that God gives, and it is but what ought to be, all
necessary grace to all men, and no more is to be expected.
Why then do they pray ?

The Arminians, to give any weight to their charge, must
maintain that they are not merely instruments^ but agents
in the work of conversion upon others.

Indeed, upon Arminian ground, prayer for others seems
absurd, since they already have sufficient grace. The
advocate for sovereign grace prays for what is promised,
not for what we already have, and so is consistent. The
same observations apply to preaching.

254 notes on select texts

Promises of God adapted to every Condition of
THE Believer. — Is the believer oppressed with a sense of
his own weakness and infirmities 1 "A bruised reed shall
he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he
send forth judgment unto victory." Matt. xii. 20. Is he
beset with temptations ? " God is faithful, who will not
sufler you to be tempted above that ye are able ; but will
with the temptation also make a way of escape." 1 Cor. x. 13.

Is he distressed with floods of worldly aflliction, and
the fire of inward trials ? " When thou passest through
the waters, I will be with thee ; and through the rivers,
they shall not overflow thee ; when thou walkest through
the fii-e, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame
kindle upon thee." Isa. xliii. 2.

Is the light of God's countenance withdrawn, and does
the humble believer mourn in darkness ? " Who is
among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice
of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no
light '? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay
upon his God." Isa. 1. 10.

Does he look with dread upon the approach of death,
and fear to enter the cold dark river 1 " Fear thou not,
for I am with thee ; be not dismayed, for I am thy God.
I will strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee ; yea, I will
uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
Isa. xli. 10.

Has he a family, and does the prospect of leaving them
in a forlorn state distress his mind 1 " Leave thy father-
less children — I will preserve them alive ; and let thy
widows trust in me." Jer xlix. 11.

Or, is he cast oflf by his parents on account of serving
his God 1 " When my father and my mother forsake me,
then the Lord will take me up." Psm. xxvii. 10.

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 255

In a word, do cross providences of various kinds befall
him *1 whatever they be : "All things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose." Eom. viii. 28. What " ex-
ceeding great and precious promises /"

Property, Spiritual and Eternal — Not distributed
in separate parts to the saints of God, as earthly property.
It cannot be said that one believer has this part, another
that, &c. ; that one has this ordinance, another that; one
this minister, another that ; one this spiritual privilege,
another that of a different kind ; one an mterest in one
perfection of God, another in a different one ; but each one
has all : " All are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or
Cephas," &c.

Popery, understands its own policy ; it pleads the
cause of toleration only while the weaker party ; it pleads
for toleration, in order to become intolerant.

Qualifications for the Kingdom of Christ. — " The
time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand ; re-
pent ye, and believe the gospel.'^'' Mark i. 15.

These words may be considered as the general text of
our Lord ; the great theme of His preaching.

The important period had arrived, so long foretold, so
ardently expected, for the fulfilment of God's gracious
promise, in sending the messenger of the covenant. The
new kmgdom of grace was, consequently, at hand, and
the qualifications for admittance were now required.

I. We make some remarks on this important period -
" the time,'''' which is here said to be fulfilled.

256 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

Several remarkable and signal periods of time are dis-
tinguished in Old Testament history.

The time or space given to the antediluvians.

The time of Israel's sojourn in Egypt, and the time of
their departure. The time of the captivity, &c.

But this was emphatically " the time."

It was the time appointed in the eternal counsel of God,
for the fulfilment of the great promise of sending the Re-
deemer into the world. Heb. xi. 39, 40.

It was a suitable time. [Remark upon the moral con-
dition of the world.]

The time foretold by the prophets, from the earliest
dawn of prophetic light. All the prophecies had refer-
ence, direct or remote, to this period, and here concen-
trated their rays ; every prophecy, from that in the
garden of Eden : " The seed of the woman shall bruise
the serpent's head ;" to that of Malachi : " The Sun of
righteousness shall arise with healing in his beams," was a
new beam of light from this great luminary. It was the
time to which the faithful in all a^es had looked forward
" waiting for the consolation of Israel." Patriarchs, pro-
phets, and kings ; servants of God and lovers of right-
eousness, of all ranks and all ages, had looked and longed
and prayed for this period. And now it had arrived:
the great era of redeeming mercy ! " The Kingdom of
God is at hand." The purpose of divine grace — this
stream of living water, from the heart of God, had run
under ground, and now and then breaking up in prophetical
announcements ; but 7iow the " fullness of time was come,"
the volume of living water burst forth. The Son of God
is come ! Hail, Prince of Peace ! the kingdom of grace
is about to be set up. Prepare for it, ye children of

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 257

II. Take notice of the great prominent object : " The
kingdom of God," here said to be at hand.

The expression sometimes refers to the state of ultimate
glory ; but generally, as in the text, to the gospel dispen-
sation, or to the Church of Christ. It is the kingdom
which, according to Daniel, the God of heaven was to
set up.

The Jews were expecting a kingdom, but most of them
one of mere earthly greatness. This is a spiritual kingdom :
" My kingdom is not of this world." Our Lord's Sermon on
the Mount, and the qualifications required in the text,
show how erroneous were the views of the Jews on this
subject.

A kingdom implies, or supposes : a king ; a throne and
sceptre; subjects and laws.

A King — Jesus Christ ; see the 2d Psalm.

A Tin-one—" The throne of grace." Heb. iv. 16.

A Sceptre — " A sceptre of righteousness." Heb. i. 8.

Subjects — All who are conquered to the obedience of
faith. Psm. ex. 3.

Laws — ^The holy oracles ; the precepts and ordinances
of Jesus, the King in Zion.

This kingdom was set up in opposition to the kingdom
of darkness. This kingdom shall be universal. Dan. ii.
34, 35 and 44.

III. The qualifications required for this kingdom : re-
pentance and faith. How different from the requisites for
a worldly kingdom ! How different the spirit and the in-
strumentalities^ and the op)erations by which this kingdom
is set up and sustained ! Here the blood-stained banner
is the cross of Christ ; the martial trumpet is the sound
of the gospel ; and the battle is the " good fight of faith."
The groans here are the groans of Calvary, mingled with
those of the penitent soul ; the victory is the conquest of sin,

258 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

and Satan, and the world, and death, and the grave ! and
the prize is — life — eternal life and immortal blessedness !

" Repent ye, and believe the gospel." These are the
terms — the qualifications requisite for the enjoyment of
this kingdom.

Let us then inquire, for a little while, mto the nature
and necessity of these important requisites.

1. Repentance — what is if? Distress of mind, (per-
haps it may be said,) on account of something wrong.
Defective, very ! Mere compunction, however deep and
pungent, does not constitute repentance. There is a differ-
ence, an essential difference between that remorse which
dreads the penalty, and that godly sorrow which is on ac-
count of sin. Exemplified in Cain and David, in Judas
and the repenting jorodigal. Repentance produces self-ab-
horrence. It is a change, a necessary change, &c.

2. Faith — " Believe the gospel." Faith is not a mere
assent of the mmd to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah.
It involves confidence. It brmgs us in contact with Christ ;
induces us to let go every hold and cling to him. It jus-
tifies instrumentally And now, dear

friends, let us bring this matter home.

The near approach of this kmgdom (ay, it is now
come) offers ground for enforcing the injunction. God's
time is now come, and therefore you are commanded ; the
throne of grace is uncovei-ed, and, therefore, you are en-
couraged to " repent and believe the gospel."

And what, dear friends, will be the consequence, if you
refuse ? " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish !"
" If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your
sins."

Queries for the Skeptic. — 1. How is it, that an act
of the will can move a bodily substance ?

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 259

2. Why cannot an act of the will at once transport the
body from one place to another ?

3. How do you make out that there is any time ? The
past is gone ; the future is not yet here ; and the present
is but a point, and a point is only imaginary.

4. Could the world have been created any sooner or
later than it was ?

5. How can you make out that God is no older now
than he was a thousand years ago 1

6. Will there be any time in eternity? Notice the
consequence either way.

Religion, Christian, may be likened to a towering
mountain, which, resting on its broad base, loses its head
in the clouds. The Christian religion, fixed on the stable
basis of eternal truth, rises to heaven, and becomes in-
volved in mysterious clouds, which we cannot penetrate.
Its summit, however, is still irradiated with the brightest
sunshine. " As some tall cliff," &c.

Religion of Jesus Divine. — I admit it to be a correct
maxim, that what we can account for on natural principles
we are not to consider supernatural. If, now, you can ac-
count foi^the religion of Jesus Christ upon mere natural
principles, 1 shall give up the point ; but if you cannot,
(and I am persuaded you never can,) then, " no doubt, the
Kingdom of God is come nigh to you."

Revelation of Divine Truths advances from more
general to more particular discoveries, and from plain to
brighter displays.

e. g. — In the revelation of the Messiah : At first He

260 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

was promised as " the seed of the womarC — thus showing
that he was to spring from the human family.

Then the promise was conveyed to Shem ; Japheth and
Ham being passed by. From Shem it was derived to
Abraham^ the other sons of Terah being omitted. From
Abraham it passed to Isaac, Ishmael being left out.
From Isaac the promise descended to Jacob, shutting out
Esau. Among the twelve sons of Jacob, Judah was se-
lected, and out of the descendants of Judah, the family of
David.

Again : under the old dispensation, God was manifested
chiefly as the Father and King of the universe, though,
doubtless, it was through the Son that these manifesta-
tions were made. In the days of John the Baptist and
of Christ, the Son was set forth, the brightness of the
Father's glory. And upon the completion of the Christian dis-
pensation, the Holy Spirit was displayed ; thus more clearly
showing the mystery of the Trinity in the divine nature.

Again : the patriarchal, prophetical or Mosaic, and Chris-
tian dispensations, afford each an instance of a person
translated bodily to heaven. Enoch under the first, Eli-
jah under the second, and Jesus under the last. But the
circumstances attending these events illustrate the truth
of our position. [Notice the account of each.]

In a word, the revelation of divine truth canlfe on the
world like the light of the morning ; beginning with the
gray dawn, and advancing, brightening, glowing, till the
Sun of righteousness arose upon the world, shedding his
sacred light upon the hills and mountains of Judaism,
and through the dark cold shades of the Gentile world.

Revival of Believers — liJce the corn and the vine. —
" They that dwell under his shadow shall return ; they

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 261

shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine." Hosea
xiv. 7.

The corn, or wheat, after being cast into the earth,
sprouts forth, but is checked by the pinching hand of win-
ter, and seems almost dead. See, when spring comes, how
it revives ! The vine grows and shoots upward, but de-
pends for support upon a stronger tree. Curling her ten-
drils around the branches, she climbs upward towards
heaven.

Sin, all concluded under. — " But the scripture hath coti-
cluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ
might be given to them that believe.'''' — Gal. iii. 22.

The chief object of this epistle appears to have been to
correct the errors and abuses which have crept into the
Galatian Church, by means of false teachers: they had
been teaching the doctrine of justification by the law of
Moses. The apostle having refuted this error, establishes
the important truth — salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.

I. Inquire into the meaning and force of this proposi-
tion:— "The scripture hath concluded all under sin."

All mankind are here pronounced sinners, and all agree
that they have sinned ; but have no correct idea of their
condition. Notice the force of the expression, " concluded,"
(or shut up,) " all under sin." This implies,

1. That mankind are not only frail, but considered as
rebels — conspirators against the government and throne of
God.

2. They have been detected, arrested, tried as sinners,
shut up as in prison.

3. Unable to deliver themselves : The fetters of guilt,

262 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

the walls of the prison-house of condemnation are too
strong.

4. Not a few, but all. "The scripture hath concluded
all under sin." Show this to be the condition of
all.

II. Notice the evidence by which, as criminals, they are
convicted of this state.

1. The curses of the divine law. God would not pro-
nounce a curse on the innocent.

2. The sufferings of Christ, for the purpose of delivering
them.

3. The convictions of the awakened. The conscience
responds to the fact.

III. The reason why the scripture hath concluded all
under sin : " That the promise by faith of Jesus Christ
might be given to them that believe." How different
from what it might have been ! It is necessary to see that
we are shut up under condemnation, in order that we may
see our need of deliverance by Christ. There is no other
way than by faith in Jesus Christ. Faith brings us out of
the prison.

The promise by faith of Jesus Christ : Justification and
eternal life.

1. It thus appears to be of grace.

2. The promise is given only in Christ. Given to them
that believe. Faith brmgs us into contact with Christ.

Inferences. — 1. The awful state of sinners.

2. More awful when shut up in unbelief and hardness
of heart.

3. Most awful when shut up in hell.

4. Deliverance may now be obtained.

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 263

5. Blessedness of the true believer. Here is the pro-
mise of God. This promise is sure to be fulfilled.
Eternal life the issue.^

Sovereignty of Divine Grace. — This may be argued
from the following topics :

1. The scriptures represent salvation to be through faith,
and ascribe that faith to the operations of God's S^Dirit.
See John vi. 44, 45—65. Gal. v. 22. Eph. i. 19. Col.
ii. 12. Eph. ii. 8. John i. 13.

2. The scriptures represent all the great instances of
conversions, or revivals, to the effects of peculiar outpour-
ings of the Spirit of God. Instance in the apostles' days
and in the latter-day glory. See Ps. ex. 2, 3. Zech.
xii. 10, xiii. 1.

3. Those parts of scripture which speak of the instru-
mentality of the word, ascribe all the effect to the agency
of the Holy Spirit. 2 Cor. iii. 18. John xvii. 17. 1
Thes. i. 5. Eom. i. 16.

4. The scriptures represent God as having a determinate
design in his goings forth in a way of grace — a design
which shall not be frustrated. Isaiah xlvi. 10 ; xliii. 13 ;
andlv. 10, 11.

5. The character of the converted during their carnal
state frequently shows, that their conversion is owing to
sovereign, distinguishing grace ; not to any natural or
moral excellence. Corinth and Jerusalem. 1 Cor. i. 26.

6. The gracious state of Christians is ascribed to God's
electing love. Ephe. i. 3, 4. 2 Thes. ii. 13, &c.

7. The difference between us and others, is ascribed not
to ourselves, but to God. Eom. iii. 9. 1 Cor. xv. 10 ; 1
Cor. iv. 7.

* These notes are such (in length) as were generally used by
Mr. Broaddus in the pulpit. — Ed.

264 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS

Testament of Jesus Christ. — " For where a testament
is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it
is of no strength at all ivhile the testator liveth.^^ Heb.
ix. 16, 17.

The apostle shows that the sacrifices and purifications of
the ceremonial law, were but types or figures of the great
sacrifice and its purifying effects, under the gospel : — ^verses
13 to 18.

A testament : a covenant or will.

The two testaments, viz., the old and the new, or the
first and the second, signify, not the law of works given to
Adam, and the covenant of grace through Jesus Christ,
but the Jewish and Christian covenants or dispensations ;
both of which were manifestations of the covenant of grace.

Now, as in reference to testaments among men, so here
Christ's death was necessary to give effect to his testa-
ment. Hence, the first testament was ratified by blood,
(see verse 18,) a type of the shed blood of Christ ; and his
death, then, in the purpose of God, gave it sanction.

Doctrine. — Christ, as a divine testator, hath bequeathed
to his people inestimable treasures in his word, which he
hath ratified by his blood and death.

I. Christ is the testator. He was amply qualified, for
he had property, and legal authority to dispose of it. The
key to the storehouse of divine grace, the reins of divine
glory, and the reins of divme government, are all in his
profession, and at his disposal : " The Father hath com-
mitted all judgment to the Son." " All power is given to
me in heaven and on earth."

II. His sacred word, especially his gospel, is his testa-

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 265

ment. He dictated it. The writers were under his
direction. And, as among men, no one has a right to alter,
to enlarge, or abridge the will of another, much less have
they to do this with the will of Jesus Christ. No human
codicils.

III. The Executor of this will is the Divine Spirit :
Christ having sealed it with his blood, and God having
witnessed it with his own hand.

IV. The Legatees are the children of God, born by a
new celestial birth, and made " heirs of God and joint heirs
with Jesus Christ.

V. Let us see something about the legacies. Here is a
long and comprehensive list ; we can only notice its con-
tents briefly. Here is imrdon of sin ; peace with God ;
justificatmi through Christ ; the sanctifying infiuences of
the Divine Spirit, and a promise of " an inheritance incor-
ruptible^ undejiled^ and th^ifadeth not away."

O ! if we are Christians indeed, what an estate have
we ! A house ! We have one eternal in the heavens.

Lands ! Look beyond Jordan to the fertile fields of
light and glory. Treasures ! " durable riches and righte-
ousness." Treasures in the heavens.

Servants ! Here are bright angels : — " Ministering spirits
sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of sal-
vation. In a word, " All are yours."

¥.

Weight or Standard. — In weighing any article, if it
be too heavy or too light, we do not clip or add to the
standard weight : we lessen or add to the article. Now,
the sacred scripture is God's standard weight.

2Q6 NOTES ON SELECT TEXTS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.,

Ways or Paths — presenting themselves to man. — •

1. The path of dissipation and licentious amusements'
Here stands Pleasure to entice us in the way.

2. The path of wealth or worldly gain : here Mammon
pleads with us to lay up our treasures on earth, and be
happy.

3. There, too, shines the path of honor ; and here Ambi-
tion courts us to climb.

4. Yonder appears the path of philosophy.

5. And the path of self-righteousness.

6. In the midst of all, is the narrow path, where stands-
heavenly Wisdom, — and what is her language 1 See Pro v.
i. 20 to 26.

Zone, Frigid, of Christianity. — That kind of Christi-
anity which excludes the Divinity from the person of
Jesus Christ ! which excludes atonement by his blood !
justification by his righteousness, and the efficacious influ-
ences of the Holy Spirit! — that kind of Christianity which
excludes these, must surely be " the frigid zone of Cliris-
tianity :" — presenting a dreary wild, with a few stunted
shrubs, standing amidst chilling winds. Whereas, real
Christianity is a genial soil, causing the plants of Paradise
to germinate, even in this world, unfriendly as it is, and
fitting them for perfection in the world of glory !

ICBttBrs;

To Mr. W. GuiREY :

January 3, 1809.

Sir : — I thank you for your voluntary offer to take the
books for which I had subscribed. It is what I should not
ask on any other conditions than those before mentioned
to you ; and if, in taking them, you subject yourself to
any inconvenience, I certainly shall regret the proposal.

The request you make for my opinion on the criticism,
p. 185, vol. ii., of Dr. Towers on the Prophecies, I shall
cheerfully comply with; disclaiming, at the same time,
all pretensions to such knowledge of languages as shall
enable a person completely to decide on the meaning of
the New Testament in its original Greek.

The word Vtvta is rendered, in the Lexicon of Schrevi-
lius, generation ijrogenies^ cetas ; which, you know, is gene-
ration, offspring^ age. The theme, or root, of that word
is Tivofiai, rendered swm, Jio^ nascor, gignor ; to be, to be-
come, to be born, to be produced. Hence you will see, that
as the lexicon favors our old translation, as well as that
proposed by Dr. T., nothing decisive can be drawn from

* Though Mr. Broaddus maintained an occasional correspond-
ence with the most eminent ministers of the Baptist denomination
in the United States ; with men of distinguished literary attain-
ments, and with others, yet I have been enabled to procure only a
few of his letters. — Ed.

268 LETTERS.

that. The best way m such cases is, I presume, to have
recourse to the connection of the words, and consider the
scope of the whole passage. The proposal of this criti-
cism has, as you may imagine, excited in me some atten-
tion to the subject with which it is connected — a subject
on which I have often reflected, and on which I shall make
some observations.

I have long been acquainted with the common in-
terpretation of the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew,
and long have learned to regret it as superficial
and inconsistent. Nothing, surely, can be more absurd
than the idea that the stars of heaven, literally speaking,
should fall upon our earth ; and how commentators, who
had any idea of the dimensions of the planetary system,
not to mention the fixed stars, could indulge such a no-
tion, is, indeed, astonishing ! Let one imagine the planets
(several of which are vastly larger than our earth) coming
to pay us a visit ; let us add to these thousands of enor-
mous masses of flame, called the fixed stars, all falling
upon our globe. What a wild imagination ! If, indeed,
I were disposed to apply this passage to the end of the
world, I should endeavor to hit upon a happier idea, and
suppose that by falling stars might be understood blazing
meteors from the upper regions, which it is highly proba-
ble will have their share in the last conflagration, and
which, like brands from the hand of the Almighty, will
be shot forth to light up the funeral fire of nature. Still,
however, there are insuperable objections to this applica-
tion— objections which you have, no doubt, discovered by
attending to the chapter. Hence, I have concluded that
the expressions of the darkening of the sun and moon,
the falling of the stars, the shaking of the heavens, the
coming of the Son of man, &c., are figurative expressions,
which, though probably borrowed from appearances that

LETTERS. 269

shall be exhibited at the Great Day, are here not to be
literally taken. I have, therefore, long since adopted the
opinion of those who understand this twenty-fourth chap-
ter of Matthew as referring to the destruction of Jerusa-
lem, and the events immediately subsequent. The decla-
ration of our Lord : " This generation shall not pass till
all these things be fulfilled," had great weight in fixing
my opinion. Dr. Towers, I find, by giving a different
turn to the word y^vta, and applying it to the Jewish na-
tion (or to a certain period) has considered the events
there predicted, as extending through many ages, even to
the latter day glory. Thus, while he regrets the vulgar inter-
pretation, he opposes also that which I had adopted, and
steers, so to speak, a kmd of middle course. This to me
is a new idea, and I confess opens to us a large field in
which the mind expatiates with sublime and pleasing
emotions. Nevertheless, I find, by consulting the twenty-
fourth of Matthew, some difficulties attending his interpre-
tation, which he has not, I believe, attempted to obviate 5
yet I am not certain they are insuperable. Upon the
whole, then, I am at present rather divided in mind on
the subject of these two opinions. If it were not like
writing a book rather than a letter, I might attempt a
brief commentary on the chapter, as I have long under-
stood it, but I believe I shall forbear. Let me, however,
just drop a few hints, and leave you to enlarge.

From ver. 5 to ver. 14, the precursors of Christ's judi-
cial coming to the destruction of Jerusalem ; ver. 15 to
ver. 27, the judicial coming, with its attendant circum-
stances ; ver. 28, the theatre where these deeds of ven-
geance should be displayed — namely, Jerusalem, which, like
a dead carcass, was devoted to the devouring vultures,
the Romans ; ver. 29, the destruction of the Jewish

270 LETTERS.

state, both civil and ecclesiastical ; ver. 30, the coming of
Christ in the power of his gospel, with the sad regret of
those who oppose it ; ver. 31, his mmisters sent out into
all the world to gather his people into the gospel king-
dom ; ver. 32, 33, an admonition concerning the same
signs before mentioned ; ver. 34, taken in its common ac-
ceptation, the limits of time within which these events
should take place — viz., within the time of the then exist-
ing generation ; ver. 36 to ver. 41, circumstances more
specially noted, which should attend the destruction of
Jerusalem ; ver. 42, to the end, admonitions to be found
ready for that awful event — admonitions which may, no
doubt, be accommodated to other circumstances.

Dr. Towers has considered the disciples as asking two
distinct questions ; ver. 3, 1st : " When shall these things
be V and 2d : " What shall be the sign of thy coming,
and of the end of the world f or rather, the " end of the
period or age." I consider them as asking three questions :

1st. When shall these things be?

2d. What shall be the sign of thy coming 1

3d. And of the end of the world ?

Without attempting to decide whether the words aioyvo^
or aioiv, should here be rendered ivorld, or age, or period, I
camiot help thinking the great judgment was intended.
For we find, in the 25th chapter, which is certainly a con-
tinuation of the same discourse, a prediction of that all-
important event, in positive and explicit terms. The gospel
kingdom, as existing in the world, is first exhibited under
two parables — viz., the wise and foolish virgins, and the
talents ; then comes an account of the great Judgment
Day, which closes the discourse of our Lord.

Of all commentaries on the subject before mentioned,
that of Thomas Edwards, stated by Dr. Towers, is cer-

LETTERS. 271

tainly the most audacious. Poor advocate, indeed, for
the cause of truth ! I venture to affirm that he never re-
ceived a diploma from the court of heaven, to negotiate
business for his professed Master.

It is, I presume, high time for me to have done. If I
have wearied you with this long epistle, you know whom
you must thank for it. I have, however, nothing more to
add, but that I am.

Your friend and servant

In the Gospel of Christ,

A, Broaddus.

To Doctor Robert Honyman :

February 17 th, 1809.
Dear Sir : — In the course of the visits with which you
favored us during Lucy's* illness, you mentioned, as a
difficulty in the Mosaic account of the Creation, the ap-
parent disproportion between the time occupied in the
formation of our Earth and that of the heavenly bodies : —
the sacred historian having represented the Divine Archi-
tect as being employed five days in creating the earth and
its productions, and one, viz., the fourth day, in making the
sun, moon, and stars. This difficulty engaged and agitated
my mind at intervals, for a considerable time. In the issue,
however, a solution presented itself, which entirely satis-
fied me, and which I shall take the liberty of offering to
your consideration ; — a solution, in which I became the
more confirmed, when, upon consulting Stackhouse's
Body of Divinity, I found it was not altogether a new
one.

* The author's second wife ; the daughter of Doctor Honyman. —
Ed.

272 LETTERS.

Let it then be observed, in the first place, that the sacred
penman is not to be considered as writing in the character
of an astronomer ; to have done so, considering the people
to whom the account was originally addressed, would, in a
great measure, have defeated the purpose for which it was
intended. This purpose was not so much to give a philo-
sophical account of the real nature and process of the
Creation, as to let them know its origin^ to guard them
against idolatry, and to lead their minds to the Author of
nature : and in doing this, a method is adopted which is
conformable to their capacities. I do not mention this to
apologize for any real inaccuracy or inconsistency in the
Mosaic account, for I do not admit any. I mention it, to
show that where there may be any ellipsis in the narration,
we are at liberty to supply it ; and to make any supposi-
tions which are not at variance with the sacred account.
These things being premised, let us proceed to the com-
mentary. In doing this, we will take, at present, only the
solar system as the subject of Creation ; because, w^hat-
ever observations may apply to that, will be equally ap-
plicable to all other systems.

I lay down, then, this position : that it is by no means
inconsistent with the Mosaic account to believe, that the
other planets in our system took the same time for their
formation as the Earth, and went on in the same grada-
tions.

" In the beginning," (says Moses,) " God created the
heavens and the earth." This may be regarded as a
general account ; the more particular recapitulation follows
it ; or, rather, perhaps, it may be considered as an account
of the creation of matter in its unformed or chaotic state ;
for it follows :

" And the earth was without form, and void ; and dark-

LETTERS. 273

ness was upon the face of the deep." Here, as indeed
throughout the whole account, the writer confines himself
principally to our planet : it lay unformed, as well as the
rest of the planets, in the womb of Chaos, or, as it is here
called, the Deep.

This state of things is represented by figure 1, in the
drawings which I have made to illustrate these observa-
tions.*

" And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters ;" i. e., the plastic energy of the Deity extended
itself over the great fiuid mass, or expansum of the Chaos ;
and by a kind of incubation, so to speak, prepared the in-
gredients of the mass to act according to the various prin-
ciples communicated.

" And God said, let there be light : and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good : and God divided
the light from the darkness. And God called the light
Day, and the darkness he called Night : and the evening
and the morning were the first day." The production of
light is generally considered as the only work of the first
day. It is plain, however, to me, that our earth was then
formed. That it was not before, is evident, for " the
earth was without form, and void," in the abyss of
Chaos. That it was formed afterwards, there is no reason
to believe, from the subsequent part of the narrative ;
which, indeed, seems plainly to suppose the globe of the
earth to be actually formed. (See the account.) It was,
in all probability, the intervention of the globe which
divided the light from the darkness ; and its revolution on

* I regret my inability to furnish these drawings, as they would,
doubtless, have elucidated the commentary it contains. — Ed.

■ 12*

274 LETTERS.

its axis which produced day and night, even before the
formation of the sun.

Now, if our earth was formed on the first day, so, may
we conclude, were the other planets ; which, however,
were invisible to the earth until the fourth day, when the
sun was formed : the light, before it was fixed in the orbs
of the sun, not being sufficiently condensed, if I may so
speak, to show distant objects by reflection.

As this idea does no violence to the Mosaic account, so
is it perfectly consistent with philosophic principles. When
the divine fiat was given for the extraction of light, we
may conclude that the whole mass was agitated : and that
while the fiery particles shot forth from their dark bed, the
terrene particles at the same time receiving the proper
impression, resorted to the several centres designed by the
great Master Workman, and immediately began to form
the several planets, Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn, and Herschell.* This state of things is
illustrated by figure 2.

The work of the second day was the production of the
firmament, or the extraction of air, proper to form an at-
mosphere around our globe, and probably around other
planets ; for whatever operation is represented as gomg
forward upon our earth, to which the sacred historian
princij^ally confines himself, we may consider the same, or
something analogous to it, as progressing through the
whole system. This firmament, it is said, was to " divide
the waters from the waters." Perhaps this may mean
that it was to sustain the clouds, and thus to separate the
celestial from the terrestrial waters : or, rather we may
suppose that, as yet, the watery particles in the great ex-

* At the time this letter was written, the planets above-named
were the only ones known to belong to the Solar System. — Ed.

LETTERS, 275

pansum, lay blended with the serial, and had not yet
retired to the several planets, to which they now retreated,
covering, in all probability, the whole surface of the planet.
The earth, with the atmosphere surrounding it, and covered
with water, is represented in figure 3, where the other
planets may be supposed as existing in the same state,
though they are not laid down in the figure.

On the third day the land and water were separated,
and the earth cro^\Tied with vegetable productions. This
separation of land and water was, I presume, effected, m a
considerable measure, by the elevation of mountains, and
the excavation of valleys, &;c., the analogous operation
going on at the same time in the other planets. See figure
4, where the earth is represented in the state above-men-
tioned, the other planets not being laid down in the figure.

The sacred historian mentions, as the production of the
fourth day, the Sun, Moon, and Stars. On that day, I con-
sider that the fiery particles, which previously were in a
scattered state, answering better to the condition of the
newly formed planets, were collected and condensed into
the orb of the sun ; w^hich, by its strong lustre, rendering
the moon and the planets visible, the atmosphere being
farther purged, &c., it might be said, according to the ap-
pearance of things, that they were then made, although
they went along with the earth in its formation. The
solar system will, according to this exposition, exist as in
figure 5, which is consistent with the opinion of the most
approved astronomers.

If we recollect that the inspired penman confines him-
self in his particular description to our earth, mentioning
the other parts of the system in general terms, and only
by the way, the liberty we here take does no violence to
his account, while, to my apprehension, it removes the

276 LETTERS.

difficulty which exists, unless we have recourse to that
position.

As figure 5 is a scheme of the solar system as it really
exists, figure 6 represents the appearance of the heavenly
bodies as seen from the earth.

Having gone through that part of the Mosaic account
which contains the difficulty or objection alluded to, I shall
make but one observation more ; which is, that if we choose
to consider the fixed stars as included in the account of the
creation, the idea of astronomers that they are as suns, the
centres of other systems, will be quite consistent with their
formation on the fourth day, together with our sun : the
formation of their attendant planets, which are to us en-
tirely invisible, having kept pace with the planets in our
system. * * * * * *

A. B.

Addressed to John Oilman and William Reed.*

My Dying Fellow-Men : — Expecting, in a day or two,
to go on a preaching journey, which will take me off" from
home for a considerable time, I do not think it probable
that I can unite in the meeting requested to be held at the
prison-door ; or, that I shall see you again before you
are launched into that awful eternity to which you are
fast approaching ! I feel a desire, however, to address you
on the all-important subject of the state of your souls, and
the prospect before you ; and I pray God to bless the
eff'ort I may make, to your everlasting good !

* These two men were under sentence of death for an atrocious
murder, committed in Caroline County, Virginia. Shortly after the
reception of this letter, the sentence of the law was executed on
them both : one having professed conversion. — Ed.

LETTERS. 277

You cannot consider it unfriendly in me, to say, that as
far as I can learn, there is not the faintest probability that
you can escape the fate awarded you, by the sentence of
the law ; but that certain death, death in a dreadful form,
is hastening to meet you, and, consequently, that any
hopes of deliverance you may indulge, are only delusive
hopes, and may serve to take off your attention from the
great object which ought most deeply to engage your
hearts — I mean your everlasting salvation. Be persuaded,
therefore, I entreat you, for God's sake, and for your souls'
sake, to give up this delusion, and let not Satan thus cheat
you to your own destruction.

Without intending to insult your feelings, I must fur-
ther say, that another matter which stands in the way, and
operates still more directly and forcibly against any hope-
ful impressions upon you, is, your denial of the guilt
with which you are charged, and of which you stand so
clearly convicted. Were you indeed clear of the guilt, it
could not be expected that you should own it ; but are
you not both conscious of having committed the dreadful
crimes laid to your charge 1 and do you not know, that a
denial of conscious guilt is inconsistent with repentance ? I
repeat it, a denial of known guilt is inconsistent with re-
pentance. You thus continue deliberately to offend the
God of truth, and to show that you value the slender hope
of life more than pardon and peace from God. And here,
again, you are cheated, grossly cheated by Satan : for your
denial operates in no degree in your favor, even as to the
prospect of life; while it tends to deaden the feelings of
those who take an interest in your everlasting welfare !
You must bear with me in speaking thus plainly, as I do
it in faithflilness and pity. to your souls. Why, O why
will you thus defeat all prospect of good, and cause the

278 LETTERS.

desires and prayers of those who would have you saved
from destruction, to be wasted upon you and spent in
vain ?

But it is not enough that you confess your guilt in this
matter ; you must become deeply sensible of your sinful
state by nature, and the sinful course of your whole lives
— that you have constantly been sinners against the God
who created you : the God of justice, the God of goodness.
You must see and feel in your hearts, that you are justly
condemned sinners, lost and ruined by reason of sin ; and
in the depth of true repentance, be grieved that you have
thus offended God, and hate and abhor all sin. Then, in-
deed, there maybe hope for you — yes, hope for you, however
vile you may have been : for, " Jesus Christ came into the
world to save sinners ;" " His blood cleanseth from all
sin ;" and he has given the most gracious assurance : " Him
that Cometh unto me I will in nowise cast out."

Your time is short, awfully short ! O, trifle no longei*
with God, and the little fragment of precious time which
yet remains to you. Employ, I intreat you, that fragment of
time in considering the awful state of your souls ; in crying to
God for the grace of repentance ; for the pardon of your
sins through the blood and merits of Jesus ; for the con-
version of your souls by the influence of his Holy Spirit.
Peradventure, the Lord may yet have mercy upon you ;
and he, who graciously took a poor dying penitent thief
from the jaws of Hell to the bliss of Paradise, may extend
his redeeming grace to you.

That God may carry the truths I have written home to
your hearts.

Is the prayer of

Your souls' well-wisher,

A. Broaddus.

LETTERS. 279

To Rev. Robert Ryland:

Caroline^ January 14, 1829.

Dear Brother Robert : — I think I called your other
letter an interesting one ; and, in regard to your favor of
Nov., I must repeat the epithet. It has lain by me too
long unanswered, but I will not now occupy time and
paper in accounting or apologizing for the postponement.

My remarks upon the distinction between the terms
wilfully and loillingly^ regarded them, it is true, in their
English acceptation merely. I had not the means, where
I then wrote, for a farther examination ; nor, indeed, could
I have done it with the requisite acuteness, though fur-
nished with the means. Since it appears that the Greek
word £:r»o-£cj? is indifferently rendered wilfully or willingly^
I must give up my distinction, though I think it a marked
and definite one in English, and we must seek for the true
meaning and force of the expression from the connection.
This you have done, and, as I conceive, succeeded satis-
factorily ; and 1 thank you for your striking paraphrase.
I never doubted that the sin alluded to was really apos-
tacy, though I must own that this is not to be deduced
from the meaning of the term used. Still, however, it
appears to me from the circumstances in connection, it is
appropriately rendered by our English word "wilfully,"
and I find that Macknight retains that word.*

Apropos of commentators ! Though I think I occa-
sionally derive some information from them, I do not hesi-
tate to say, that the whole ponderous load taken toge-

* Reference is here had to Hebrews x. 26 : " For if we sin wil-
fully," &c. — Ed.

280 LETTERS.

ther, have done incomparably more harm than good.
From these mighty manufactories it is, that system after
system has been sent forth to the world ; while readers of
divinity, taking their views from second-hand, instead of
applying to the original storehouse, have enlisted them-
selves under various standards — have put on the uniform of
their respective leaders, and the motley armies have often
been waging war for the tenets of men, instead of the
truths of the Bible. I doubt I have been mixing figures
here ;* pray excuse me ; you have my meaning, and you
don't expect me to be very elaborate. A commentary,
or rather an illustration of the Bible — such as I should
choose, would probably be, in bulk, not more than
one-sixth, perhaps not more than one-tenth the size of
Gill. It should exhibit critical remarks, rather than theo-
logical points ; throw light on ancient customs, wherever
alluded to in the Bible ; should reconcile apparent discre-
pancies in the relation of facts, not of doctrines, and leave
me and all other readers of the sacred word to form
our views from the original source of truth. Such a work
would be a help to the Bible student. Rom. viii. 20 :
" For the creature was made subject to vanity," &c. You
ask, by the way, " what creature f I answer, the crea-
tion. You are aware that the same Greek work is used
here {Knaii) which, in ver. 22, is rendered " creation ;" and
I can think of no meaning so probably the true one as
that which considers the apostle as using a figure in which
the creation is all along personified : the creation, animate

* Though Mr. Broaddus was remarkable for the accuracy of his
language, yet he took great liberties with the word " doubt," fre-
quently using it (as in this place) in a very questionable manner. —
Ed.

LETTERS. 281

and inanimate ; and thus represented as sharing in the
effects of the fall^ and looking forward to the consumma-
tion of God's purpose of grace.

The question which I hastily threw out for your reflec-
tion on the 1st verse of the 1st Psalm, you think rhetor-
ical^ and not a theological one. I admit it to be rhetor-
ical, but not exclusively so. To ascertain the true ideas
intended to be conveyed by any portion of the sacred
word, must, I should suppose, mvolve something theologi-
cal. However, be this as it may, it is desirable that the
true idea should be ascertained ; and this consideration,
though the question be not deemed of very great con-
sequence, will doubtless justify some attention to it.
I think you have a correct idea of the climax and anti-
climax ; and you have, I own, exhibited the climax, as you
conceive of it in this verse, in a very happy and lucid
manner. But you seem not to have taken hold of my
view of the matter correctly, (indeed, I know not how you
should from a mere hint,) and you have missed, in your
conjecture, my reason for considering the character there,
as represented m the way of anti-climax. I must still
consider it so. Let us see how the matter stands :
" Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of
the ungodly ; nor standeth in the way of sinners ; nor
sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

Counsel^ advice, — is, no doubt, correct. Not council^ as
you seem to suspect, though that might better suit with
your view ; and I admit that you are in a great deal of
good company in your view of the matter.

Please to review the verse, and then attend : The
three terms — ungodly^ sinners^ scornful — I take to be
only various ways of representing the same character.
I do not look here for the anti-climax ; though, if there be

282 LETTERS.

any gradation marked, it would, I think, favor my view.
Let that part lie by, and notice the expressions, walketh,
standeth, sitteth. See you not a descending gradation here 1
Descending — I do not mean into greater degrees of vice,
but in strength of expression. Walking ; actively en-
gaged in following the advice of the ungodly ; in pursuing
the counsel before received. Standing ; ready for joining
in the way of sinners. Sitting ; being in the proper po-
sition, or attitude, for learning the lessons of the scorn-
ful.

Now, let us inquire whether, a priori, such a method be
not the one which we should think ought to be adopted,
when contrasting the character of the good man with the
different grades of sinners. I say in such a case an anti-
climax appears obviously to be the proper figure. Ex-
ample : " That is an exemplary young man. He practices
no wicked ways ; nay, he never sanctions those who do
so ; nor will he even sit among them, to hear their scoffs
at virtue and goodness.

But if you set out with making the good man avoid
the lower degrees of vice, why the rest follows, of course,
and would, if introduced, make but an awkward figure at
best.

If, now, from the grades of wickedness here represented,
we would trace the progress of vice, we must begin at the
third step in the descending series, and turn it into a
climax by ascending. Thus he begins by taking a seat
among the scornful, where, by degrees, he learns their
lessons. He is sitting as a learner. Next you see him
in the way Of sinners, who are engaged in practical
wickedness, and he is standing ready for action. And
then you behold him practicing the advices he had re-
ceived ; walking in the counsel of the ungodly. Blessed,

LETTERS. 283

then, is the man who is the opposite of all this ; who not
only does not wallc in the counsel of the ungodly, but
stands not in the way of sinners, and will not even sit
among the scornful. Enough on this matter, no doubt,
you will think. So think I. It is late, and I must rest.

You ask, " Why did the Saviour speak in parables ? —
was it to be obscure f Matt. xiii. 10, 11, 12, 13, &c-
I answer, yes ; it was that he might be obscure to a certain
class of persons.

This, at least, appears to have been one object ; while,
at the same time, I would remark, that through the medium
of parables, divine truths were better comprehended by
those whose minds were endued with spiritual perceptions
— were more strikingly represented than they would have
been in their naked, abstract nature. This obscurity, 1
have said, regarded a particular class of people ; namely,
such as are described in ver. 14 and 1 5. They appear to
be left in a state of judicial blindness, and the passage
corresponds with Matt. xi. 25, 26. From characters of
this description, who, in the pride of their own sagacity,
despise the simple, teachable, childlike spirit, the arcana of
divine truth are concealed ; these secrets are reserved as
the pledge of God's favor, for those of a contrary descrip-
tion of character.

But here comes a task for me, and I have little room,
and, I doubt, less ability for its accomplishment : " What
is conscience ? Is it an attribute of the mind, or an act of
the mind % If an attribute, give some definition of it ; if
an act, what is the faculty which develops it V [I am
now from home, scribbling by candle-light, with a mise-
rable pen, which I again and again tried in vain to mend.]
Did you never remark, that some of the most important ob-

284 LETTERS.

jects are the most difficult to define, or give an account
of?

According to my view, conscience is an act of the mind
arising from a faculty, and the faculty is that which is
termed " the moral sense." Or the term conscience may be
used, if you please, to include both the faculty and its ex-
ercise or action. We often hear it said, that conscience
is a faithful monitor, implanted in our bosoms to speak
for God. Now, if the mere faculty were alluded to, I
could readily allow that it is implanted by God, as, in-
deed, are all our natural faculties. The faculty consists
m a capacity to know and have a sense of right and
wrong — of moral good and evil. And this certainly God
has bestowed on us.

But if we take the term conscience as embracing the ex-
ercise^ then to call it a faithful monitor^ to consider it in-
variably so, is a most egregious blunder in ethics and
theology. Conscience must be correctly informed, in
order to admonish correctly ; and, though a man must be
expected to follow the dictates of his conscience — nay,
ought to do so, let it be remembered, that he ought to use
the proper means to have his conscience correctly in-
form.ed, otherwise, he may be misled, though acting con-
scientiously : nor will he in such a case be clear from just
condemnation.

This is an interesting subject, on which much more
might be said. But room, and time, and pen, all fail me.
Pray excuse the scribble, accepting best regards, and re-
member in prayer.

Yours, in the ever-living Redeemer,

Andrew Broaddus.

LETTERS. 285

To Rev. Elliott Estes :

Essex County, Virginia, August 2Qth, 1829.

Dear Brother Estes : — Not long after I received your
affectionate and welcome favor of the 26th of February, I
understood, from good authority, that you were expected
to return in a short time (in the course of the spring) to
Caroline. This conclusion caused me to postpone, or
rather to decline sending an answer on so long a journey ;
for, indeed, I thought it probable that ere my letter would
reach your residence with the cramp Indian name, you
might be far on your journey to us-ward. Since the
time I have alluded to, I have not been often in the neigh-
borhood of Burruss's, but again, and again, have inquired,
if you had come, and when you were expected ; till, not
long since, I learned, to my surprise, that you were not ex-
pected to return till some time in the fall. This is my
apology for the apparent delinquency or neglect on my
part, in regard to our correspondence. And now, your
letter having, in a manner, gone out of date, I feel it a sort
of an awkward task to write by way of answer, and would
much rather see you, that we might converse face to face.

I said above, that I learned, to my surprise, that you were
not expected till some time in the fall. I really did opine,
very strongly, from the statement you gave me of prospects
and feelings, that you would continue but a short time in
that part of the country. How is it since '? Have times
changed for the better ? I certainly should rejoice to learn,
that you were agreeably situated, in the service of your
Master, anywhere, in any part of the Lord's vineyard,
though it would be much more gratifying to my feelings
that it should be somewhere in contiguity with my own
sphere of operations.

286 LETTERS.

As to the prospect now, in the upper part of Caroline, I
am not able to say how it is ; though I have rather regret-
ted that you went off at a time when it seems, as far as I
can learn, matters were working and tending towards a
favorable result. However, I hope God may be pleased
yet to cut you out a lot that may prove agreeable to your-
self, as well as profitable to his cause here on earth.

B , I think, has pretty nearly run himself out.

Rather heady and high-minded, as you are aware, he has
reaped, as might have been expected, the fruits of his
rashness and self-will : his popularity, I believe, has nearly
expired ; I seldom hear anything about him. What a pity
that some characters will not see their own interest, as
well as the interest of the cause of Christ !

The state of religion about old Burruss's continues, as
far as I can understand, rather hopeful. Several, it seems,
have been added about Oxford ; and Brother Chandler has
commenced exercising a public gift in the Church. In the
state of thmgs amongst us, there is nothing remarkable.
My own imperfect labors, I am apprehensive, are spread
out over too wide a surface ; if the churches were more
amply supplied with pastors, and our labors were more
concentrated, great permanent good, I am persuaded, would
result from it. It is desirable, indeed, we should have
Evangelists, whose labors should be distributed amongst
the churches ; and some of my brethren seem to desire
that I should act in that capacity : I do, indeed, in a great
measure ; but the churches need pastors — ^gifted pastors ;
and my labors are, I doubt, too much spread out for a
pastor. At Mangohic, where most of the leading members
have become smartly Campbellized, they have thought
proper to choose a pastor of their own ; but then, as he is
but slenderly gifted to preach and teach, they earnestly

LETTERS. 287

insist on my services still. In this all unite ; while a part
of the Church, particularly the females, being opposed to
some of their peculiarities, there are some unpleasant jar-
rings which I am sorry should exist.

Poor Brother H., in his zeal for Campbellism, has talked,
and lectured, and written, pro bono publico, till he has got
himself almost solus. It is now nearly dark, and I believe
I must close. I hope, my dear good brother, wherever you
be, that you may be near to Christ, and Christ near to you.
I hope, too, we may see you soon. Remember me at the
throne of grace ; I greatly need it ; and accept the assurances
of my Christian regard and fellowship in the gospel.

Andrew Broaddus.

To Rev. John Leland :

Caroline, Virginia, April lO^A, 1832.

Much Esteemed Elder : — A letter of yours to Brother
Thomas Buck, dated October 26th, 1831, lately republished
in the " Richmond Religious Herald," has served to refresh
the coloring of that picture, which time had, m some de-
gree, caused to fade.

It has brought, I mean, afresh to our recollection, the idea
of him, with whose ministrations Virginia was formerly
favored, and has drawn forth from me the present com-
munication.

Separated, as you are, and long have been, by a length
of distance from Old Virginia, and far advanced in the vale
of years, we had almost given up the idea of hearing from
you again, much less could we calculate on seeing you,
till the great meeting which our Master has appointed for
all his family to be convened. But your interesting letter

288 LETTERS.

once more brings us refreshing news, giving us to under-
stand, not only that you were still living, but still laboring
with success in your Master's cause. Yea, and it gives
us, too, some ground to hope, that peradventure the ap-
proaching summer may bring us the favor of a visit from
you ; a favor, towards which we had so long ceased to
look with any expectation. The sensations, associated
with the idea of such a visit, are better conceived of than
expressed. To me, it seems to carry with it the impres-
sion, in some good degree, of a visit from the other world :
for, to us, you have, in a manner, been numbered with the
departed.

How highly valued such a favor would be, it is not
necessary for me to say. Do you think, my good brother,
we may indulge this hope, provided it should please the
great Disposer to grant you sufficient health and strength 1
Most of your old associates in Virginia, it is true, are
gone; but here are many, who form, so to speak, the
middle link between the old generation and the new, who
well remember your last visit ; and still there is a goodly
number of old pilgrims, among the private members, who
have heard you preach in the early period of your ministry
in this state, and frequently since, who are still lingering
on the borders of time ; and here are many young disciples,
who have heard of you, though they never saw or heard you.

Yes, my dear sir, nearly all your old fellow-laborers in
Virginia are gone. Among the later ones is Semple, who
began, and pursued, and has finished his course, within the
term of your ministry. His whole orbit, in regard to the
course of time, has been included in yours. His sun has
gone down, but not in a dark cloud. It has gone down,
gilding the horizon with holy lustre — the token of a bright
rising in the morning of eternity.

LETTERS. 289

We have been favored, during the past year, with great
revivals in Virginia. Among others, the churches to which
I minister have considerably increased in the number of
their members. Individuals, of different grades of society,
have been included, from the most respectable to the most
obscure. Doubtless we have, as yet, dross and tin with
the pure gold, chaff with the wheat : but, upon the whole,
there seems much reason to believe that great good has
been done. These revivals, we may trust, are the breakings
of the millennial dawn on the moral darkness of the world ;
and we must, I suppose, labor on, and wait, and pray, for
the light of a clearer day.

In the meantime, there is Camphellism^ so called, which
promises, it seems, by a " Restoration of the Ancient
Order of Things," all at once, or speedily at least, to bring
this light upon us. We have the minglingsof this system
among us ; but the West appears to be the chief theatre
of its operations.

In the early part of Mr. C.'s career, I felt disposed to
greet his labors, and, saving his asperity, to bring my little
efforts to his aid. The idea of Reformation, as it regarded
the whole Christian world, was pleasing. And, believing
as I then did, and still do, that the standard of Christian
purity, both for individuals and churches, might be greatly
elevated, I was pleased to see a man, conspicuous for his
talents and learning, engaging earnestly in the work. But,
alas ! Mr. C, I thought, soon appeared to be engaged in
digging up some of the foundation-stones of the spiritual
temple ; and I was obliged to stop, and remonstrate, and
oppose. To his view of baptism, as the only medium of
actual pardon, justification, sanctification, reconciliation,
adoption, and salvation from the guilt and power of sin —
and to his view of divine influence, as consisting merely in
13

290 LETTERS,

the moral inliuence of the woixl, I could not consent. I
wrote several smaller pieces, and at last published a
pamphlet of fifty-six pages, in opposition to his views.
Thus we stand. In several instances among us, the pro-
fessed advocates of Mr. C.'s views have been shut out
from fellowship. Pray what would be your mind as to
this measure ?

I must here conclude, hoping you will give yourself the
trouble to write me, in the w^ay of answer, as soon a»
may be suitable.

With cordial esteem, your fellow-servant

In the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,

Andrew Broaddus.

To Rev. Elliott Estes :

Caroline, Va., January 10, 1833.
Dear Brother Estes : — Your welcome and interest-
ing letter of the 3d ult. has come safely to hand ; and
but that it served to bring my sin to remembrance, would
have been perused with sensations unmingled with regret :
I mean the sin of omission^ in not having answered your
former letter. Truly, I could say, with Pharoah's butler,
" I do remember my faults this day." You are not the
only one among my correspondents, and my best friends,
whom I have treated in this way. Laying the letter by,
to be answered at " a convenient season," I have, in seve-
ral instances, partly from postponement, and partly from
forgetfulness, suffered such a length of time to elapse, as
to conclude that the letter is out of date, and to feel ra-
ther ashamed to undertake an answer, till another rouses
my attention, and calls forth my acknowledgment. I can
only say, with the Psalmist, " This is mine infirmity."

LETTERS. 291

Do not ascribe it to the want of a high esteem for the
correspondent, or a due regard for his correspondence ; and
here ends my apology.

The discourse on the death of brother Semple was not
published, otherwise, with pleasure, I would send you a
copy. And here I will notice the question you ask to-
wards the close of your letter, viz., whether 1 am " writ-
ing anything to instruct, confirm, and comfort the flock"
after my decease ? Alas ! no. Nearly all that I have
done m the way of writing for the public, consists in fugi-
tive pieces called forth by the exigency of the times, and
doomed to pass off* with the periodicals in which they
have appeared. This suggestion, however, of yours
(offered now, I think, a second or a third time) really ex-
cites my attention, and appears to deserve more than a
mere passing notice. But I find considerable difficulty in
the prospect of such an undertaking. If I could satisfy
m.yself, (which is not so easy a matter,) as to the shape in
which such a legacy should appear, in order that it might
be. interesting and instructive^ even then my industry
nmst be doubled, (though this, I own, might be offered,)
to enable me to accomplish the object. If you ask what
employment thus engrosses my time % — I answer, very
little of worldly business ; but having a considerable field
to occupy in my ministerial operations, four places sta-
tedly to attend, I am stationary but a very little time to-
gether, or at one season. Time, however, I have no
doubt, might be redeemed for some profitable purpose ;
and I might still attend all those places, and preach as
frequently, nay, much more frequently than I do. Had
I but a great portion of the industry and the nerve of
such a man as John Wesley ! O, his multitudinous

292 LETTERS.

writings, and his incessant labors ! But there are few-
men to be found, who are constituted like that remarkable
man, and some others.

While on the subject of ^;w 6 /zVim^, I will mention a
matter under this head — a matter which I think must be
deeply interesting to the churches under existing circum-
stances. Opposed as I am, and long have been, to a de-
tailed confession of faith, as a test of fellowship and bond
of union, I am nevertheless persuaded that our churches
stand in need of a summary of leading principles, such as
have generally been recognized by the great body of the
United Baptists, to be incorporated in the Church Covenant,
or in the Constitution, and to be resorted to as occasion
may require, to be the test of fellowship, and to enable
the churches, with more facility, to clear themselves of
radical and injurious errors. The times appear to render
such a measure a desideratum ; and we must either agree
to admit Mr. Campbell's platform — a mere profession of
faith in Jesus Christ, and immersion — disregarding any
difference as to religious sentiment ; or, we must have an
expression of the great principles recognized amongst us
as Baptists of the evangelical stamp. Still I am opposed
to a detailed confession entering into the minutiae of sys-
tematic divinity. Such an attempt would defeat the
object ; and nothing should be admitted, but what every
Baptist deemed worthy of fellowship ought to receive. I
intend, if it please God, shortly to agitate this subject in
the " Religious Herald ;" and if I can do anything for the
harmony and prosperity of the churches in this way, tliat^
I trust, may be deemed an offering not unworthy of their
regard.

Two or three of the churches, to whom I minister, have

LETTERS. 293

been favored, within the last two years, with very consi-
derable increase, and all of them more or less. Salem*
has a considerable accession of young members, as if to
fill the places of a number who have grown old, very old,
in their pilgrimage, and must shortly exchange their
abode. Beulah has sprung up, in a manner, from the dust,
and her waste places are repaired in a wonderful manner.
And Mangohie, but for Camphellism, (the only place where
I have been personally troubled with it,) might be es-
teemed one of our most flourishing churches. There I
have lately found it necessary to constitute a new church,
separated from the " Reformers." It is rather mortifying
to my feelings, that a church, raised under my ministry,
from the smallest beginnings, should be in such a case;
but God has permitted it. They were at a distance from
my location ; met together frequently in my absence ; had
two or three leaders who became " Reformers ;" had the
" Harhinger'^ freely circulated among them, and became,
many of them, independent spirits, led hy Mr. C.

My paper begins to w^arn me that I am near a close.
It gives me pleasure, my dear sir, to learn that you have
been successfully engaged as an evangelist ; and, I trust,
from the expression of your sentiments and exercises of
mind, that you are, while laboring for others, attentive to
the progress of your own soul in " righteousness and true
holiness," and that you feel the weighty responsibility
which lies on every Christian, and especially on every
Christian teacher, to " walk worthy of the high calling."
May every new year find us renewedly engaged in our

* Of this church, Mr. Broaddus was a member at the time of his
death, and his remains repose within fifty feet of her pulpit,
whence his voice had so often sounded. — Ed.

294 LETTERS.

Master's service, till heaven's eternal year shall close, and
crown our pilgrimage.

I cannot conclude without the expression of my best
wishes for the little fellow, on whom my name is called.
May God Almighty bless the boy ! And now, with my
Christian regards to sister Estes, and every good wish,
I am yours in the truth,

Andrew Broaddus.

P. S. — You seem to be, indeed, a fiery set in South
Carolina ; and thit, together with the President's procla-
mation, appeared to place our country on the eve of a
conflict, the most tremendous, and the most to be depre-
cated of all events we have ever witnessed. It is, how-
ever, to be hoped, that conciliatory measures may be
adopted, and the gathering storm be dispersed. May
God grant it ! Amen.

To Messrs. John and Joseph Fox :*

January 10th, 1833.

A. Broaddus to John and Joseph Fox : — " Grace, Mercy, and
Peace!"

My Young Brethren : — In prospect of your entrance,
shortly, into the Baptist Seminary, I offer you a few hints
by way of admonition and advice. You will receive them,
I trust, as coming from one who feels an interest in your
prosperity, and that of the good cause which you have

* These two young men were members of a church of which
Mr. Broaddus was pastor, and at the time this letter was written,
were just about to enter the Virginia Baptist Seminary, (now the
Richmond College,) with a view to prepare for the ministry. One

LETTERS. 295

espoused, and of which, it is presumed, you are desirous
of being the advocates.

At the outset, permit me to remind you, that the glory
of God, the honor of your Divine Master, must ever be
your governing object ; and, of course, in subservience to
this object, should be all your pursuits, all your efforts.

With a view to this great object, remember, that your
own spiritual state is a matter first in order, and first in
importance. Without attention to this momentous con-
cern, all the qualifications of which you may become pos-
sessed,, by study and application, will prove but empty
trappings ; nay, they may prove a snare to your soul.
The attainment of any earthly object is attended with
danger ; though with a right spirit and right management,
such attainment may be rendered beneficial, and become a
Wessing. This is confessedly the case, as to the possession
of wealth ; it is also true, as to the acquisition of know-
ledge. If wealth is too apt to charm the affections to this
world, knowledge has a tendency to swell the mind with
vanity : for we have it on the authority of an apostle, that
" knowledge puffeth up." But wealth may be rendered
useful, even in the cause of God ; and knowledge is capable
of being used as a powerful instrument in doing good.
Usefal knowledge is better than wealth.

It is a point which ought never to be lost sight of, that
the operations and exercises of the Seminary are designed,
not merely for the cultivation of the intellect-, and the ad-

(John) afterwards abandoned the idea of becoming a minister, but
has been highly respected as a lay member of the church, and a
school teacher. The other is among the most useful Baptist min-
isters in the Piedmont region of Virginia. How far their present
respectable and useful positions are due to this letter, eternity
alone will show. — Ed.

296 LETTERS.

■van cement of the mind in useful knowledge, but for the
cultivation of the heart also, and to help forward the soul
in true godliness ! The means afforded for the latter, as
well as the former purpose, are favorable to the object in
view ; but, whether the object shall be attained, will
depend, through the divine blessing, on the proper use of
the means, and the proper spirit with which they are to
be used.

A number of young men, brought together into one
family ; young men professing godliness, and engaged in
pursuits having the promotion of godliness for their aim
and end, surely have a favorable opportunity for their own
personal advancement in religion. They are thus enabled
to " provoke one another to love and to good works ;" to
confirm each other's hearts, and strengthen each other's
hands in the way of righteousness ; to bring their lamps
together, and thus increase the light of religious know-
ledge, religious testimony, and religious enjoyment ; and
mutually to encourage and excite one another to higher
attainments in personal holiness. But, though a favorable
opportunity is thus presented for these advantages, be
it remembered, that through the frailty of human nature
this flivorable opportunity may be misused, and even per-
verted : and the very circumstance so well calculated for
mutual advantage^ may possibly prove the occasion of
mutual disadvantage. How necessary, then, to " watch
unto prayer," and walk constantly with God !

Erect for yourselves, my youthful brethren, a high
standard of personal holiness. Believe that it is possible,
through grace, to advance far beyond what you may have
attained ; yea, that the advancement of a Christian is not
limited, but is indefinite. Believe thus, and determine,
through grace, thus to advance. It is a lamentable error

LETTERS.

for a Christian to imagine he has made the utmost progress,
and already passed his best stage in religion. The conse-
quence of such a calculation is too often seen in that dead-
ness, and carnality, and worldly-mindedness, and inactivity,
which mark the course of too many professors. I have no
idea that, in our present militant state, we shall be purged
from all the being and the influence of sin: the best
Christians have felt and groaned under it. But this is very
different from yielding, in any degree, to that influence,
and tamely giving up the privilege of an advancement in
holiness.

I shall now say a little in prospect of your becoming
public advocates for the cause of Christ ; or, in other
words, preachers of the gospel. Whether you are to
occupy such a station, is, I suppose, yet a while uncertain.
But, I have understood, that you have impressions of mind
that way, and a few hints in reference to such a destination
can do no harm.

One objection to the establishment of a Seminary for the
improvement of young preachers, has been this : " They
will be liable by that means to be spoiled." Now,
though this is by no means a valid objection to the institu-
tion, there is some truth in the objection ; I mean, it is
possible for the apprehension to be realized. But, thanks
be to God ! this is not necessarily the case. There are
two things to be noticed here, that may spoil a young
man. One is, that the attainment of knowledge may,
in his apprehension, be thoroughly estimated, — may be
estimated as an acquirement, which must make hitn
a great man and a great preacher. The other is, a
conceit that he knows a great deal, when in truth he
knows very little ; not enough to be aware how little he
really does know ! and what fields of science lie beyond
13*

298 LETTERS.

his glimmering vision. Shallow minds are apt to be con-
ceited. From both these false views, I hope and trust
you may be preserved. Cultivate humility ; but cultivate,
however, in all your bearings, a manly confidence : it is
perfectly consistent with humility, and you will find it of
great service.

I intended to have made some remarks on what is termed
" A Call to the Ministry ;" but here I have not room for
much more. I will just say, though ministers are called of
God to the work, I do not consider anything like a miracu-
lous or extraordinary call to be requisite to that office. I
am scribbling this by candle-light, and must now close.
Your friend, brother, and pastor,

A. Broaddus.

To Rev. Eli Ball :

King and Queen, A2yril ISth, 1834.

" The word of God, which effectually worTceth also in you
that believe.'" 1 Thes. ii. 13.

Dear Brother B. : — You were under a mistake in the
suggestion which you offered to me, on the construction of
the words above stated. Pretending to but little know-
ledge of the Greek, I yielded, at the moment, to the diffi-
culty which your remark presented, and was staggered at
an idea so different from my confident view of the mean-
ing of the expression. The difficulty, however, vanishes
at once when the mistake is corrected. The word y^oyos,
my dear sir, is not in the neuter gender, but in the mascu-
line ; and so agrees with the relative "of;"or, in other
words, the relative must of course be masculine to agree
with it. The only question then will be, if indeed a

LETTERS. 299

question can remain, is Xoyog, or is eco? the antecedent be-
lonsjinsj to the relative "65 V' You will not hesitate, I
think, to decide in favor of the former ; that being the
prominent, governing object in the sentence, and o^ov being
here used as an adjunct, to designate or define the term
\oyog : — " the word of God, which word effectually work-
eth," &c. If, hov/ever, any doubt should remain, just cast
your eye on the former part of the verse — " when ye re-
ceived the wo7'd of God, which ye heard of us," &c., where
the same phraseology occurs in our English version, and
where, I suppose, there is nothing in the Greek hostile to
it ; and all doubt, I presume, will vanish.

In offering these remarks, I do not consider that any
point of doctrine is affected by the construction. A desire
merely that we may have correct views of the meaning of
every passage of the sacred word, as far as we may be
able, is the motive which has led to this little communica-
tion, along Avith an aversion, I suppose, natural enough to
us — an aversion to the idea of being considered in an error,
when it is not so.

With Christian regard,

Yours in the truth,

A. Broaddus.

To W. H. AND A. Broaddus :*

Monday Morning, February 23c?, 1835.
My Dear Boys : — Some three days ago, in passing
from Caroline into King "William, I received, at Mr.

* This letter is not inserted for any intrinsic merit it possesses,
but for the purpose of exhibiting the writer's feehngs towards his
children. — Ed.

300 LETTERS.

Segar's, your welcome letter by Carter Nelson. I
felt pleased and thankful that, so far, you had been
favored to get on well ; though I am rendered some-
what uneasy, by the information you give, that the 'mea-
sles is, among the students. In a general way, I believe,
this is not a very serious disease ; but it is sometimes of
that character ; and particularly, if the patient should take
cold : that is considered to be dangerous in the measles ;
and, one object which I now have, in writing, is to caution
you both as to that point. Exposure, in that respect,
should be avoided, I reckon, even in the latter stage of the
disease ; and, indeed, for awhile after apparent recovery.

I am not entirely confident that you two have not had
the measles ; but my persuasion or impression is, that you
have not. Erom your account of the disease, as now
among the students, I hope it is of a mild character ; though
I understood yesterday, at Beulah, that one of the young
Messrs. Fox had been extremely ill. When I had the
measles, I found it a heavy disease : I was then thirty-two
years old ; and at an advanced age, it is more apt to go
hard with the patient, than in youth. I pray and hope,
while commending you both to God, that you may do
well, and especially that you may share in that grace which
prepares for sickness and health, for life and death !

We had concluded on a protracted meeting for Mango
hie, at Easter ; but, I have some thought of proposing an
alteration as to the time : if this should be done, you will
hear of it. I am desirous that you should make the little
visit proposed at an earlier period, if it can be made suit-
able. On this point, I intend dropping you a few lines
from Mangohie, next week.

With respect to pantaloons^ let me know if either, or
both of you, need money to buy materials for that pur-

LETTERS. 301

pose ; and whether there is a prospect of getting such
things made pretty readily. Besides this object, f
shall wish to hear from you, once a w^eek, by mail, or
otherwise, for sometime to come, on [account, as you may
suppose, of the measles being among you.

Your cousin, Andrew S., told me, the other day, that one
of you, I think Wilton, had promised to write to him.

I have not been at Mr. Cox's for sometime, but am now
aiming that way ; if I were there, I am sure your sister
Fanny, and the little boys, would be sending their love to
you. I saw Columbia yesterday ; she is well, and at pre-
sent staying at Mr. Gwathmey's.

Give my love and best wishes to all of your room-mates.
Your affectionate father,

Andrew Broaddus.

Note. — In the date of one of your letters, I think I re-
marked the letters th put over a figure w^here it ought not
to be. Th is not a contraction for the: it is to be
subjoined to such dates as, if written, would end with th ;
for example : the 4^7i, ^th^ Qth^ &c., day of the month.
Dates ending or terminating differently, require other let-
ters ; for example, the 1st, 2d, 3d day of the month.

P. S. — You have been to the Popish Chapel once, to see
their forms. I hope you will go there no more at the time
of their service. Popery, with all its sanctimonious cere-
monies, is idolatry^ and ought not to be encouraged by an
attendance, which, though not designed for that purpose, may
be construed that way.

A. B.

302 LETTERS.

To W. H. Broaddus and A. Broaddus, Jr. :

Dover, Kino William, March 4, 1835.*
My Dear Boys : — I received Wilton's letter by Carter
Nelson, and wrote by mail, in the way of answer, which
I may presume has come to hand before this. It was put
m the office at Clark's, (King and Queen,) and ought to
have been in Richmond on the snowy Friday.

I have now before me Andrew's communication, by
William Henry G., from which I learn that he has had
the measles, and that Wilton was sick with it. [You see
I consider the word of the singular number, and use the
pronoun it^ notwithstanding the plural termination. Have
this point decided. I am clear it is singular.] I feel
thankful that one of you has got through the disease, and
earnestly hope, by the time this comes to hand, the other
will have got over the worst of it. This return of ex-
tremely rigorous weather has given me some uneasiness
on that account ; and I will take occasion to say, that care
ought to be taken as to the danger of catching cold, even
after the disappearance of the disease. I hear nothing
more about the mumios. I doubt you are not all out of
danger of that disease, in which, it is considered, that tak-
ing cold ought to be cautiously avoided.

I am here, at Capt. Lumpkins', to-night, in consequence of
the funeral of Mrs. L., which I attended at this place this
afternoon. Mr. Gwathney and fiimily are here also, and
I have had some consultation with him on the question of
your proposed little visit the 4th Sunday. He thinks that
when you do come, you might make it out by coming
part of the way in the mail stage, (for a dollar each,) as
William Henry did ; say as far as Robert Taylor's ; a

*■ This letter is inserted for the same purpose with which the
one preceding it is given. — En.

LETTERS. 303

mile further on the journey than Hanover Court House.
Mr. G. would provide for your being received there. But
the mail stage travels from Richmond in the night, and
I dislike such an arrangement, if it could well be avoided.
Perhaps, too, it might not be proper to make a night trip
soon after coming out of the measles. I cannot judge
when Wilton will be clear of the disease. Would this
prospect be preferable, or a trip to Mangohie at the time
of my meeting there, the first Sunday in next month 1
Let me hear from you by Mr. G. as to this matter ; by
that time I may be better able to propose more definitely.
I am desirous of seeing you both, and it would be very
gratifying to me ; but I wish your trip made as suitable as
may be.

I was lately at Mr. Cox's ; they were all pretty well,
and I was much pleased with Andrew's letter to his sister
Fanny ; particularly, because it was better written as to the
hand than I should have supposed, &c. His note to me,
in haste, is very well, but the word sure is wrongly spelled
by him, shwe.

With best wishes and prayers for the well-being of
both of you,

I am your aflfectionate flither,

Andrew Broaddus.

To A. Broaddus, Jr. :

Sparta, September 18, 1836.

My Dear Fellow : — On your departure for the Colum-
bian College, I drop you these lines — a memento of my
affectionate parental regard, and of my earnest solicitude
for your well being.

You are going to the City of Washington, and cities

304 LETTERS.

are places, (ay, and colleges, too,) where temptations are
concentrated. May I not hope and confide, that you will
be enabled effectually to resist the appeals which tempta-
tion may make to you in all its varied forms, to draw
you from the path of rectitude 1 Bear in mind that vice
has its blandishments for enticing the propensities of na-
ture, but that the result is sure to be bitterness. Repel,
therefore, the first approaches of temptation to evil, and
let neither persuasion nor example prevail to lead you
astray. Learn to say — No ! whenever it appears most
safe, and have the noble decision of mind to abide by that
" no."

In regard to your studies, I trust you will fill your time
to good purpose ; and with respect to economy, I will just
say it is not only proper, but absolutely necessary. Of
course you will let me hear from you, at times, by mail ;
and earnestly hoping you may earn the approbation of
the President and Professors of the college, and earnestly
praying that God may be your friend, I bid you, my
dear fellow,

Good-by.

Andrew Broaddus.

To Miss Columbia Broaddus :

Sparta, September 7, 1837.
Dear Columbia : — I write these lines to supply an
omission on my part. When the volume, containing
Byron's poetry, (which you were so anxious to peruse,)
went down by Richard Henry, it ought to have been ac-
companied by some admonitory remarks, which I now
offer.

LETTERS. 305

I observe that you are an enthusiastic admirer of
Byron, and I must say I obser\ie it with some regret.
The genius of the highly-gifted poet^ I readily admit ; but
the principles of the man, so inconsistent in some respects
not only with religion, but with virtue and morality,
ought to be viewed with strong disapprobation. His
works I have read only in part ; but I am convinced there
are those things in his writings which are not fit for the
eye or the ear of a young lady ; and when in reading you
catch a glance of such things, let me advise you to pass
them over with due contempt ; and remember, that no fas-
cination of genius ought to be allowed as an apology for
corruption, or want of decency. Vice itself is too often
dressed in fascinating colors. And remember that the
superior worth of virtue, of goodness, should serve as a
check to a too fond admiration even of the genius of that
writer, whose daring spirit w^ould submit to no control.
By the way, too, I will say, even at the risk of being
counted dull, that Byron is not so agreeable a writer as
Scott, (both dealt too much in trifles,) and that it is only
here and there that the former is superlatively great.
Your affectionate father,

A. Broaddus.

To Rev. Joseph Fox :

Sparta, Caroline, February 16th, 1838.
Dear Brother Fox : — Yours of the 3d instant has come
to hand, and I proceed, according to your request, to notice
the queries therein contained. It will ever, I trust, be a
gratification to my feelings to aid, as far as I may be able,
any young student in the pursuit of sacred truth. Having
missed, how^ever, the return mail of this day, my letter

306 LETTERS.

must now lie in the Post-Office for a week, before it goes
on. This circumstance you will please excuse.

You have made, I think, a mis-statement of the first
inquiry. I made, you perceive, a distinction in the serinon
to which you allude, between the mind and the soul. I
cannot recollect having treated on any subject which would
lead to a distinction so minute and metaphysical, and,
withal, hardly calculated to answer any purpose of instruc-
tion. The distinction to which you refer, must have been
between the 7nind and the heart ; and the subject, I pre-
sume, was that passage of scripture, Phil. iv. 6, 7 : "Be
careful for nothing ; but in every thing, by prayer and sup-
plication, with thanksgiving, &;c. And the peace of God,
which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus."

" Your heojrts and minds.^'' Here I make a distinction ;
and the Holy Spirit, no doubt, by the use of these two
terms, which, indeed, convey distinct ideas, intended that
a distinction should be made. The mind is sometimes
taken simply for the soul ; but in this acceptation of the
term, I mean here in the text, it means that power of the
soul called the understanding : and this acceptation it
frequently has. The heart is considered the seat of the
affections^ or the inward feelings. And so, when the
apostle says, "the peace of God shall keep your hearts
and minds''' — we are to understand : that this divine influ-
ence, this heavenly seasoning, shall preserve the aflections
or feelings in due oi-der and exercise, and shall preserve
the understanding from the clouds of pernicious error.

On this point I remark, that a. question might be sug-
gested, viz. : It is easy to conceive, that " the peace of
God" should keep the heart — should influence the aflec-
tions, as in its very nature connected with the feelings ;

LETTERS. 807

but how is it, that divine peace should preserve the under,
standing of the Christian % What connection is there in
this case ? To this I answer, that the most pernic-ious, blast-
ing errors come into the mind^ or at least find acceptance
there, through the medium of the heart. Where the mind
or understanding is seriously perverted, the heart, the seat
of the affections or feelings, has first received a pernicious
bias. The understanding, indeed, can act on the heart, but the
heart can re-act, powerfully, on the understanding — as the
stomach can act, physically, on the head, to disorder it.
Hence, though a pious, devoted Christian may err, may
into mistakes, those mistakes will not be of a ruinous nature ;
and there is no great danger of destructive error, where the
heart is kept by " the peace of God." Thus it is, that I
distinguish between the heart and the mind; and thus it
is, that I would solve the difficulty suggested in the question
just above mentioned, and show that the peace of God can
keep the mind as well as the heart. *****

A. Broaddus.

To Mrs. Columbia Montague :

Fehruary 18^/i, 1839.

My Dear Columbia: — I received, with much concern,
in your letter by Mr. M., the intelligence as to your state
of health. As you appear to be persuaded, however, that the
practice in which you have indulged, in chewing and eating a
variety of vile trash, has operated to your injury, I do hope
and trust that you will be duly admonished, and will break
off the habit by utterly renouncing and quitting the practice.
That it must be injurious to indulge this morbid, vitiated
appetite, there can be no question ; and while the alterna-

308 LETTERS.

tive is thus presented to you, either to forsake the practice
and regain your health, or to continue the practice and lose
your health, I hoj^e you will not hesitate which to choose.
You may find a difficulty in this undertaking — for habits
much indulged in are hard to be broken : but this is the
penalty one must pay for forming a bad habit ; and when
it appears to be seriously injurious, it must be broken off.
Don't think of tapering off gradually, but quit at once.
You will find this the better way.

I am afraid, too, my dear Columbia, that your mental
appetite is of the morbid cast. Your thirst for novelty in
reading, and in the scenes of life, seems to be inordinate^
I gather this even from your letter ; for I give you credit
for a good stock of candor, which I think appears to mark
your general course. Now, I have no disposition to shut
up from you, or to proscribe that kind of amusement
which is found in the lighter sort of reading ; I only wish
that it might be properly regulated, and might generally
be of that character which combines some degree of solidity
with amusement. I will let you have the " History of
Remarkable Female Sovereigns," as soon as can be well
practicable ; and I will look out for some productions for
you : some interesting ones, of the character which I have
here indicated. j

With respect to the scenes of life, I am well aware that|
a continued monotony becomes wearisome, and that a\
degree of variety is desirable ; and I really wish the state
of affairs with you might be such as to furnish some
measure of that article. Be patient, however ; perhaps
kind Providence may now and then furnish you with a
little treat of that sort. In the meantime, let me remind
you, or, if you have never known it, let me inform you,
that the real enjoyment of human life does not depend

LETTERS. 309

mainly on excitement, but knowing how to estimate, and
to use, and improve the mercies which we have. There
is much mercy, ay, much mercy in that even tenor of life,
that unbroken uniformity, from which we may wish to
escape : for, O ! there is a variety — a variety of affliction
and woe, from which the miserable subjects would fain fly
to that state, and to those scenes which may seem to many
to be only dull and wearisome. I believe the best earthly
preventive and remedy for this evil, is application to some
kind of business. I wish it was convenient for me to fur-
nish you with a little more than, I suppose, you have on
your hands.

But, my dear Columbia, I say to you, that the only
sovereign remedy for life's ills is religion — true, genuine
religion. O, I sighed, when I read that expression in your
letter, — " I am sometimes at a loss what to do with my-
self." 1 am aware that many — rtiany, who profess religion,
do not seem to be provided with this divine remedy. Alas !
alas ! religion does not operate in us as it ought. Want of
room circumscribes me, and I am scribbling this, too, by
candle-light, at brother Kidd's. Think!

I am much concerned to understand that sickness has
again visited Mr. Cox's* family ; I do earnestly hope the
woman may, by this time, be recovering. Give my love
to your sister F., when you see her. When Andrew may
conclude on that trip, he will, no doubt, let you know. —
I was there lately, and stayed two nights. Jane expressed
an earnest wish to see you. Here I must close, with best
regards to H.

Your affectionate father,

A. Broaddus.

*Mr. Cox, the husband of Mr. B.'s daughter. — Ed.

310

LETTERS.

To Wilton H. Broaddus :*

Sparta, Septemher 11, 1839.

My Dear Wilton : — How shall I give you up % How
shall I consent to look on and see you rush forward to de-
struction, without still using all the means which Heaven
puts in my power, (if haply Heaven might bless those
means,) to save you from the direful gulf towards which
you seem to be rapidly tending % Possibly I may appear
to your feelings as a persecutor, by thus obtruding on you
my earnest expostulations, and my sore distress on your
account. But dismiss from your mind every impression
of that sort, and bear with me, my dear fellow, this time
at least ; for never was effort dictated by purer motives,
or more tender and affectionate feelings.

But what shall I say % O, that God would give me to
say something that might be more effectual than anything
I have heretofore said ! I had fondly hoped, Wilton, that
your course had become steady and regular. You ap-
peared to be going on well with your school, and 1 had
heard nothing for a long time to forbid my hope. When-
ever I saw you, either at Mrs. Harrison's or elsewhere, it
was with a secret satisfaction, and a congratulation in
heart, if not in words. Once I had some suspicion, but I
dismissed it as being probably unfounded. But, alas !
alas ! what a blasting stroke my hopes have experienced !
I have received information of the almost maniac state

* The young man to whom this letter is addressed, (a son of
the author.) though gifted with fine talents, and remarkable for the
propriety of his deportment, and the general morality of his con-
duct, unfortunately acquired a love for intoxicating drinks while a
student at the University of Virginia. — Ed.

LETTERS, 311

into which you plunged, at the B. Green on court day,
(need I say almost ?) and then of your renewing the in-
toxicating course yesterday at Sparta, with such compa-
nions as ***** ! And now I learn further,
that previous instances had taken place, which, no doubt,
Andrew, Jr., refrained from mentioning to me, with a
view to spare my feelings. What a blasting stroke ! I
could only exclaim : " What can be done 1 Is he utterly
gone?"

Wilton, of this fact you ought to be assured, that you
cannot indulge in strong drink without experiencing the
most miserable consequences. Your whole mental system
becomes perverted, and you are stupified, or a maniac.
Are you aware that in coming from the court-house, if
you had not been forcibly taken by your friends, and put
into the vehicle, there was the most imminent danger of
your being dashed from your horse, and killed 1 Nor
was that instance the only one in which an indulgent Pro-
vidence has interposed for your rescue. O, the direful
thought !

Wilton, this is surely a serious matter. The alterna-
tive is before you, either to run the mad career, forfeiting
all prospect of well-being here and hereafter, or to re-
nounce utterly and perpetually the intoxicating draught.
I am aware that you are of age, and may plead, if you
will, exemption from my jurisdiction. But I feel too
deep an interest in your well-being to suffer such a plea to
deter me from this effort. Besides, I may be permitted
to think that I have some claim on your attention, in ad-
dition to the parental relation. I will leave to your re-
flection the expense I have been at out of my very
moderate finances, for your education — the readiness with
which I have supplied your wants — and all the concern,

312 LETTERS.

and all the anxiety of mind which I have evinced for your
well-being. I do trust that ingratitude, " sharper than the
serpent's tooth," has not yet usurped in your bosom the
place of better feelings. But of this I am well persuaded,
that intoxication, often repeated, will not only pervert the
intellect, but will poison all the moral faculties ; and when-
ever I may hear of your beginning to complain of me,
and to raise accusations against me, I shall consider it as
the evidence that gratitude is departing, and as the signal
that you wish me to let you alone, and give you up. May
Heaven in mercy forbid such a consummation !* To see
you given up to the demon of intemperance — cut off from
all useful employment — abandoned to a vagabond life ;
all prospect of well-being gone for time and eternity ; the
thought is killing ! And this is no flilse coloring, in case
of a continuance in such indulgence. And every instance
of indulgence is a rivet in the chain with which the demon
is binding you. As yet, I do hope, in the merciful
God, it may not be too late ; but any further indulgence,
and the fetters may be so fastened as to defy resistance.

Wilton ! O Wilton ! the alternative, big with import-
ance— -fatal importance, is now before you. May God in
mercy give you to make the right choice, and to adhere to
it inflexibly and perseveringly ! not for a season, but per-
petually.

Indulge hie yet farther. God has suffered me to expe-
rience deep and bitter affliction. No doubt, as Mis dis-
pensation, I have deserved it, but not as coming from the
hands of mortal creatures. Nearly eighteen years ago,
the cup of " wormwood and gall" was given me to drink.

* This prayer was answered, and the author was spared the
pain here alluded to. — Ed.

LETTERS. 313

I need not say what it was, or how bitter was the draught !
* * 4v * 4t Still, however, God in mercy left to me
some earthly comforts — some ingredients to sweeten life's
bitter cup ; and my children were among those ingre-
dients ; you, as I hoped, among the rest. Now, will you
throw in among the dregs of my cup, the poison of life's
comfort, that I may drink it to the bottom before I go
hence 1 Come, my dear fellow, for my sake, for your
own sake, for God's sake, rise up, and be decided. It may
seem discouraging to reflect that some length of time may
be requisite to redeem yourself from the odium ; — not so
long, if you feel decided, mid manifest your decision — a
thorough, full, and unyielding decision. No other will do.
No room must be left for an apology : " I was drawn in,
I was prevailed on," &c. O, the shameful weakness of
being led by the nose, when talent, and morals, and dig-
nified firmness, might dictate to others. And the respon-
sibility which rests on you is awfully serious — a respon-
sibility to yourself — to others; and, above all, to God,
your maker. Am I right or wrong 1

O, Wilton ! what is to be the decision 1 With this
efibrt, the best I can make, my prayers go along, that God
may in merc}^ incline, and fix your mind, decidedly and
firmly, and in mercy save you from destruction in time
and eternity.

Your aflfectionate and afl^icted father,

A. Broaddus.

Let me hear from you. Do peruse this letter attentively.

314 LETTERS,

To Rev. Thornton Stringfellow :

Newtown, King and Queen, October 8th, 1844,

Dear Brother Stringfellow : — We are hei-e once more,
brought by the good hand of God in safety, and have found
all pretty well. I have attended two meetings since my
return ; but a special object having drawn these lines from
me, I hasten straightway to that object.

I sent on to the Herald, a few days ago, a notice of your
answer to Bishop Onderdonk, in prospect of the forth-coming
of that production in a short time. Of course, you will
see that notice. In the meantime, however, reflection hav-
ing brought to mind your construction of Acts i. 26, I have
been induced to pay more particular attention to that pas-
sage than I had done; and the result is, that I am persuaded
your interpretation of an expression there is a mistaken
one. Your own argument is by no means essentially
affected by what I consider a correction of the error, nor
is the Bishop's cause in any degree assisted by it ; yet it
is very desirable, you know, that we should ascertain the
true meaning of every passage of scripture which we intro-
duce, and be careful to " cut off occasion from those who
might seek occasion."

" And they gave forth their lots : and the lot fell on
Matthias." You have considered the term lots as synony-
mous with votes ; and thus, that the Church voted in order to
decide between the two nominees, Joseph and Matthias. The
idea, as I remarked to you, was new to me, and struck me
with some force, as being probably the correct view of the
case. Upon farther reflection and examination, I must
think differently. The word lot, as applied in English,
represents, as you are aware, a transaction different from
that of voting : and so I find the word in Greek [cleros)
signifies not voting, in the usual acceptation of that term,

LETTERS. 315

but a lot, to determine some point at issue. It was an
ancient custom, and capable of being used religiously or
profanely. The authorities I have consulted, all consider
the expression in the light 1 have here presented, under-
standing that the Church on this occasion made an appeal
to God by lot for a decision of this point.

The correct view of the matter, therefore, appears to be
this : — That Joseph and Matthias were appointed by the
Church : " they (the 120 addressed by Peter) appointed
two," &c., no doubt, by a vote ; and, probably, (as Dr.
Alexander has suggested,) by an equal, or a tie-vote ; but
this is not material to the point : That these two being
apjDointed by the Church, a choice was now to be made of
one of them ; and that this was decided by drawing or
casting lots — an appeal being made to God, verse 24, to
show which of the two He had chosen ; and thus Mat-
thias was set apart to the apostleship, as were the other
apostles, by the more immediate appointment or ordina-
tion of God. The Church apx^ointed the two, and God (or
Christ himself) decided between them.

Will you reconsider this matter 1 I hope it is not too
late ; and if you think with me, make the correction
accordingly, wherever it may be required. I had some
thought of offering these remarks through the Herald ; but
I have considered this as the preferable mode.
Faithfully and cordially yours,

A. Broaddus.

To Mr. James Roy Micou :

Newtown, April 22c?, 1845.
My Dear Sir : — I have received, and perused with at-
tention, yours of the 12th instant. You did not, in your

316 LETTERS.

first letter, as you suspect you might inadvertently have
done, assign the term " hades" to the Hebrew language,
instead of the Greek : it is simply quoted as the original.
I have not entertained a thought that your object in writing
was, *' a polemical discussion," but merely a friendly
collision of views, to elicit truth.

With respect to the " creed," traditionally termed " The
Apostles' Creed," I fully approve of all its articles, as also
do all orthodox Christians, except that article, " He
descended into hell" — taking the word " hell" in its usual
acceptation. The Episcopal Prayer Book has undergone
in this country two or three revisions. In one of them,
according to the best of my recollection, this expression in
the creed was left out ; and also the third, of the " Articles
of Religion," which says, " As Christ died for us, and was
buried, so also is it to be believed, that he went down into
hell." Afterwards, however, the expunged item was re-
placed in the creed, and the " Articles of Religion," which
had been considerably abridged from those of the Church
of England, were restored to their original number.

I object to this item in the creed for the reasons which I
have before stated; and, more strongly to that third
Article of Religion, because it seems to reaffirm the im-
proper application of the term " hell."

There can be no shadow of scriptural authority for this
article of belief, unless it be found in 1 Peter iii. 19, 20 ;
or in that passage, Ps. xvi. 10, as quoted by the apostle
Peter, Acts ii. 31. Now, the former passage we have
seen, I hope, by a fair and rational interpretation, affords
not the least ground for such a belief; and as to the latter,
the term " Hades'^ being confessedly used to indicate the
state after death, the invisible world, including all the de-
parted, whether happy or miserable. No argument for

LETTERS. 317

this peculiar sentiment can be founded on the use of this
term. I wish you could see and peruse the able Disserta-
tion of Dr. George Campbell on the original words,
" Hades and Gehenna" prefixed, amongst other disserta-
tions, to his translation of the four Gospels ; it throws
much light on a subject which has been involved in the
intricacies of confusion, on account of the translation of
words not strictly synonymous by the same English word.
He has shown, I think satisfactorily, that " Hades" includes
all the departed, comprehending Paradise and Tartarus —
the state of happiness and the state of misery, before the
resurrection ; and, that the supreme Heaven on the one
hand, and Gehenna, the ultimate hell, or the second death,
on the other hand, are the final abodes, respectively, after
the resurrection. Peter says of the angels that sinned,
that God "cast them down to hell, {Tartarus^ to be
reserved unto judgment ;" and then " Gehenna," we under-
stand, will be their doom. That our Lord went into
" Hades," is certain ; but that he descended into Tartarus,
or Gehenna, seems to be a mere tradition, a mere gratui-
tous assumption ; nay, as I before remarked, contrary to
scripture : — " To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise."
The question, with respect to Christ's divine nature,
merits attention. You ask me, " Do you think that he
had a body, a hum'an soul, and a divine nature V I
answer, certainly I do ; and I hope, upon reflection, you
will think so too : for, if he had not a soul like ours, sin
excepted, a soul which suffered in the garden, as well as
on the cross, I do not see how our souls are to be re-
deemed. " And do I think that his body was entombed, his
human soul went into the unseen world of spirits, and his
divine nature was filling all in all V I answer, exactly
so ; and this presents every thing in harmonious keeping.

318 LETTERS.

You seeiti to think that our Lord's soul was his divme
nature ! My dear sir, I have never seen such a view ex-
hibited, except by Baron Swedenborg, who, by the way,
repudiated all idea of the atonement. " My soul is exceed-
ingly sorrowful unto death." Was this his divine nature 1
O, no ! His soul was in close connection with his divine
nature, but not identical with it.

But you think, it seems, that our souls are divine too.
Why 1 Because, as man's body was made of the dust of
the earth, and God breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life, and man became a living soul ; and, because man was
thus formed in the image of God, therefore, you infer,
" that the soul must be a part of the divine Essence." I
think, my good sii*, you will be convinced, upon reflection,
that this is an error, and one that ought to be cautiously
avoided. This idea, with its counterpart, that of the
divine nature of Christ being his soul, will be found to
involve consequences of much more importance than the
mere question as to Christ's descent into hell. Let me
offer a few remarks.

I. The essence of the Deity cannot possibly be divided
into parts : it is one and indivisible. The Trinity^ even,
does not divide it, but Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each
one possesses, and all. together possess, one undivided God-
head : " These three are one." •

II. If each man's soul, and every angel, too, is a part of
the divine Essence, then, there are many Gods, or, if you
please, pieces of God., as there are men and angels ; yea,
and devils too !

III. If every man's soul is an essential part of God, then
can no man possibly be lost ; as, indeed, I cannot see how
an essential part of the Deity could ever become unholy
or miserable !

LETTERS. 319

IV. If, because " God breathed into man's nostrils the
breath of life, and man became a living soul," that soul
must therefore be a part of the divine Essence, it will fol-
low also, that so must man's animal life be a part of the
divine Essence; and this, you know, is absurd. And,

V. This idea, collated and combined with that of Christ's
soul being his divinity, will produce the strange result, that
all men possess the divine nature in the same manner in
which our Lord possessed it.

This subject might be enlarged on : but having thus
furnished a sketch of my view, and of the reasons for it, I
shall conclude with the assurance, that

I am, dear sir, , &c.,

A. Broaddus.

P. S. — Christ made " his soul an offering for sin :" Isa.
liii. What! his divine nature? O, no ! but his human
soul or spirit, in union w^ith his divine nature, and suffered
agonies unknown, to redeem our souls from eternal death.

To Rev. Joseph R. Garlick:

Newtown, King and Queen^ Nov. 24, 1846.

Brother Joseph R. Garlick : — I am much pleased
with your letter; with the desire which you have ex-
pressed to engage in the good work of proclaiming the
message of life to a dying world, and with the whole
brief view which you have presented, of your exercises
of mind in regard to this subject.

In the commencement of this communication, I thought,
from the tenor of your letter, that I should have to
occupjr the greater part of my sheet with the subject — " A

320 LETTERS.

call to the Christian ministry." But it has occurred to
me that I can furnish you with my thoughts on this sub-
ject by enclosing a few printed pages, copied from a pub-
lication, in an abridged form, in the " Baptist Preacher."
This, I presume, will answer every purpose that could
be answered, by waiting the same things in substance in
a letter.

This little publication was the result of my matured
thoughts on the subject; it will, I think, meet your case,
and I hope may. It received the sanction of the Associa-
tion, and (as you see) the approbation of Elder Keeling —
a testimony in its favor of no small value.

With respect to a selection of books suitable to aid
your studies, I feel at some loss how to advise you. My
own course of reading has been irregular, and very im-
perfect. Having been, in the early part of my minis-
terial course, but scantily furnished, either with living
helps or suitable authors, I catched as I could, here and
there, rather promiscuously, and have thus arrived at my
present state of attainments, such as it is — literary, scien-
tific, and theological. A very moderate stock, indeed ;
which 1 now see might have been greatly increased, by
more industry, perseverance, and decision, with more of
prayerful dependence on divine grace.

I will here mention some books which, I think, will be
useful as aids in your theological studies ; not deeming it
necessary, at present, to furnish a catalogue of all those
even with which I have some acquaintance.

Is it necessary for me to say, that the Bible claims for
itself an independent place at the head of the list 1 Of
course, you know this. Let me then remark, that, as the
Bible is the chief book for the Christian minister — the
great storehouse, whence all our knowledge of divine

LETTERS. 321

truth must be derived, whether immediately by ourselves,
or mediately through the aid of others, an acquaintance
with the Bible, 2i familiar acquaintance, is of first-rate im-
portance. Compared with our knowledge of other books,
it should bear some proportion to the excellence of this
book beyond them all ; and I am persuaded that the
chief defect of preachers and of preaching is, the want
of a more thorough acquaintance with the Bible.
Read it — read it with prayer, and endeavor to understand
it. " Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous
things out of thy law." Ps. cxix. 18. '■^ Bonus textua-
rius, bonus theoloyus,'''' was a good old-fashioned maxim.

Exi^ositors. — Scott and Henry's Expositions are good
popular works of this sort. Scott is, perhaps, the better
expositor ; Henry the better annotator ; excellent for
lively and striking remarks. You will know how to
make allowance for their notions of infant baptism.
Doddridge has many good things ; his work is a para-
phrase; his critical notes appear to be the most interest-
ing part. The " Comprehensive Commentary" ought to
be a valuable work. I am not much acquainted with it.
It appears to me to be rather ponderous, and rather too
complex in its arrangement. The voluminous Gill is
more eminent for oriental learning than for clear and satis-
factory exegesis ; rather fanciful in some of his exposi-
tions, and ultra Calvinistic. Robert Hall called his great
work " A continent of mud !"

Doctrinal, Controversial, and Miscellaneous. — Fuller's
works, complete in two volumes, octavo. Excellent !
Read it with much attention. Yet I do not subscribe to
all his views. His metaphysical arguments for abstract
regeneration, without the word, appear to me to be un-
profitable, to say the least.

14*

322 LETTERS.

AS'ermo?z5.— Davies's, for a vein of warm piety, holy
unction, &c. Generally too long, and not very well cal-
culated as a model for sermonizing.

Whitefield's fifteen sermons, prepared by himself for
the press ; lively and rapid. Those taken from his
mouth in short hand, and published without his sanction,
are mostly irregular declamation. Whitefield's wonder-
ful power lay in his viva voce preaching.

Burder's Village Sermons : Plain, lively, and evangeli-
cal.

Chalmers : A series of sermons on Human Depravity
&c. Nervous and powerful in argument, with a peculi-
arity of style and phraseology, that need not be copied.
Also his Astronomical Discourses ; grand and masterly.

Robert Hall's Sermons : Eich in thought ; and in re-
gard to style, considered a model of perfection. I query,
however, whether they are well calculated for popular
use.

Jay's Family Sermons : Short and interesting. He is
a popular preacher of the Independent order in England ;
now a very old man.

A considerable number of the sermons published in the
" Baptist Preacher," are well v,^orth a perusal. I do not
read many sermons ; but T have just read one of these on
" the Cardinal Christian Graces," by Josiah S. Law, of
Georgia — an excellent sermon. I was greatly pleased
also with Howers, on " The Coming of Shiloh."

It is questioned by some, whether " Skeletons of Ser-
mons" be not a disadvantage. I think they may be of use,
if they do not make one idle, and too much dependent on
the labors of others. I have lately seen a book of this
sort, " The Pulpit Cyclopedia," which I think must be the
best. It has, if I rightly remember, a treatise on the com-

LETTERS. 323

position of sermons, and on preaching, which may be
useful.

Church History. — Mosheim : Cumbersome and heavy ;
but, no doubt, instructive. Brand's Dissenters from the
Dominant Church, with some opprobrious name : I have
the work in six volumes, but never could wade through it.
There is an abridgment in two large volumes.

Jones' Church History : mostly about the Waldenses ;
excellent. Neander is in high repute ; valuable, but te-
dious in his details. Milner I have never read. D'Au-
bigne's History of the Great Reformation ; most admira-
ble.

Biblical. — Dr. George Campbell's Translation of the
four Gospels, with a series of Dissertations ; learned and
highly instructive.

Religious Letters. — John Newton's ; excellent.

Biography. — Memoirs of Whitefield ; of Rowland Hill ;
of Fuller, and of Pearce ; in Fuller's works. Cum mul-
tis aliis.

Defence of Christianity. — Fuller's " Gospel, its own Wit-
ness," in Fuller's works. Keith's Demonstration of the
truth of Christianity ; and Campbell's Debate with Owen.

On the Prophecies. — Bishop Newton, Keith, Hinton.
Science consistent with Religion. Keith's Demonstration
as above. Wiseman's Lectures in Rome; masterly and
excellent, though by a Roman Catholic.

Baptism. — Carson against Ewing and Wardlaw ; most
masterly. Campbell's Debate with McCalla ; quite con-
clusive. Pengilly ; plain and convincing. Letters of Da-
vid and John ; ingenious and acute. Hinton's History of
Baptism, &c.

You see, my good fellow, I have about filled my sheet,
and must close. This has been written pretty much by

324 LETTERS.

scraps, and, as you see, in a coarse and scribbled manner.
Accept it, such as it is, along with my best wishes for
your prosperity.

Grace, mercy and peace !

A. Broaddus.

To Rev. Robert W. Cole :

Newtown, King and Queen^ November 21th, 1846.

Dear Robert : — Your letter of the 25th instant found
me engaged in writing a long communication to brother
Joseph R. Garlick, a young member of Beulah church, in
answer to one received some four or five weeks since from
him. He is a fine young man, intelligent, and well edu-
cated, employed at present in teaching a school in Isle
of Wight County, and desirous of engaging in the work of
preaching the gospel. His piety and talents seem to pro-
mise well ; and 1 indulge the hope that he may become a
useful minister of " the word of life." In any such case it
is gratifying to my feelings to be able to render any ser-
vice towards aiding and promoting the blessed object. The
difficulty which I have to encounter, in the mechanical
exercise of writing, is the chief impediment in my way.

Enclosed, you will receive the notes on the subject you
mention, two notes on the other two subjects. I must
request, however, that you copy them for yourself, if you
like, and at some convenient time return me the originals.
Most of my notes now by me are written in pencil, and
are so effaced as to be scarcely legible. 1 can, however,
hereafter, furnish you with some others. You will find

LETTERS. 325

that words are frequently contracted, and frequently a word
or two left to be supplied. Any little difficulty of this sort
may be easily conquered. It has been ^estioned by
some, whether skeletons of sermons furnished in books,
&c., be not a disadvantage to the student. I think, how-
ever, they may be of use, provided they do not induce a
habit of idleness, and too much dependence on the labor
of others. They sometimes serve to supply the mind with
a strikmg subject ; and, though they furnish an arrange-
ment, and hints of leading ideas, the student must himself
clothe the skeleton^ as he can, with^esA.

I have seen a book lately, a large octavo volume, which
I should think must be the best of the sort. Its title is
" The Pulpit Cyclopedia ;" and it contains, if I rightly re-
member, a treatise on the composition of sermons, &c.

In the sphere which you have to occupy, you certainly
have your hands full ; and well may you feel the pressure
to be heavy ; and very well it is, that while you look to
the " Father of lights" for wisdom, you feel a desire to
avail yourself of every proper means for instruction and
improvement. There is much more to be done, in the
way of attainments^ though our means may seem scanty,
than we are apt to be aware of; till, perhaps, it may be
too late. And it is very desirable to be adding to our
little stock, lest by repeated drafts it become entirely
exhausted.

Fain would I aid you in any way within the compass of
. my ability ; but, from the subject you propose, I feel to
shrink back ! and this, I assure you, is said without any
affectation of humility. " The character and duties of a
Christian minister!" — In forming such a portraiture, I
should leave myself so far in the back-ground ! Compared
with such a standard, how defective ! So many blanks and

326 LETTERS.

SO many blots — how mortifying ! Well, it is something
favorable, to see and mourn our defects ; and O, it is a
consolation, in the midst of this mourning, to believe
that there is One on whose grace the miserable delinquent
may freely cast himself, and whose atoning blood and
plenteous redemption can meet and relieve our every
need.

" The character and duties of a Christian minister :" —
Well, to offer a few hints on this subject, which is all I can
at present undertake, I should say,

First, in regard to the character : That piety, of course,
enters into it as the first element. It is to the body of the
ministry what the heart's blood is to the animal system ;
and the deeper toned this piety, the better. I do not mean
that there should be a great show of sanctity put on. If
the principle be cultivated in the heart, it will show itself
in the general deportment. Still, however, it is necessary
to be guarded in this respect too ; as we are liable, through
inadvertence, to speak or act in some way improperly,
when the heart in the main is right.

This, then, seems to be the next item to be attended to,
namely, a proper guard over our words and actions." Set
a watch, O Lord, before my mouth ; keep the door of my
lips :" Ps. cxli. 3. This cautious deportment is, I con-
ceive, perfectly consistent with an innocent freedom of
conversation and manner ; a cheerful gravity, a grave
cheerfulness.

Again ; it is of great importance to cultivate a proper
temper, or " a right spirit :" affable, condescending, forbear-
ing, obliging, and ready to comply as far as consistent ;
but an unyielding decision^ when right and lurong form the
alternative. These brief remarks, as to character.

Secondly, with respect to duties. The Christian minis-

LETTERS. 327

ter stands, of course, in a two-fold capacity : as a Christian^
and as a Minister ; and corresponding duties devolve on
him accordingly. In his own private, personal capacity,
there are the duties common to Christians in general : —
watchfulness, prayer, the cultivation of the Christian graces,
and " doing good," as occasions occur and ability allows.
In his ministerial capacity, he may be not only a preacher^
(or Evangelist,) but a Pastor^ (or Bishop.)

As a preacher^ then, he has to read and study the Bible,
as the great treasury of divine knowledge, and other suit-
able books as aids ; (see 1 Tim. iv. 13, 14, 15 ;) and to
furnish his mind, as far as he can, with all sorts of useful
knowledge ; and, in the meantime, to be engaged in pro-
claiming the gospel, as the way of life, to his dying fellow
creatures.

As a pastor^ or bishop, there are additional duties : at-
tention to the state of the Church generally, and to parti-
cular cases ; teaching or instructing in the truths and pre-
cepts of the word. A bishop must be " apt to teach ;" and
visiting the members — religious visits. O, how deficient
some of us have been ! Well, I believe I must now dis-
miss this subject.

You mention brother Southwood's late visit, &c., and
express a persuasion that his ministrations in the regions
around Sparta might, at this time, be seasonable and
beneficial. I hope so too ; and, from his letter to me,
(which I sent up to Sparta,) it appears that he feels a de-
sire to devote some of his time to that object ; but will
wait, I think, for something in the form of an authorized
invitation. He has but little ministerial work cut out —
would fain have more, and is much pleased with the peo-
ple up in that region, Salem, Upper Z., &c. They
are now pretty well acquainted with him as a preacher,

328 LETTERS.

and, I should think, can form a judgment for them-
selves.

Brother S. is a man of considerable talents and reli-
gious knowledge, and frequently preaches well, even ex-
cellently. He has some peculiarities which must be
borne with, and, now and then, he will throw out something,
(which had been better omitted,) rather reckless of conse-
quences. Still, it seems that there are many good points
in his character. He and myself have had many tough
whets in argument, but his great deafness now renders the
interchange of thought a heavy task.

I wished, before I should come up, to write to those
brethren, from whom I received the communication, on
the subject of making total abstinence a test of Church
fellowship, but have been taken up here and there. Per-
haps I may yet make it out. That is a point not to be
hastily determined on.

Grace, mercy and peace !

A. Broaddus.

P. S. — Will you give Andrew, Jr., the perusal of this
letter 1

To Mrs. Columbia Montague :

New^town, Aioril 6, 1847.

Dear Columbia : — I think you are aware, that for a
long time the exercise of writing has been to me a te-
dious sort of operation ; sometimes a difficult task. A
stiffiiess in my hand, which, of course, increases with in-
creasing years, is the cause of this impediment, and fre-
quently occasions me to make a " draft" on Caroline as
my amanuensis. She can " slick it oft*" smartly, though

LETTERS. 329

she does not write so neatly and pains-takingly as you do.
Some of her letters are formed rather carelessly ; and
when she writes for me for the press^ the compositor, or
type-setter, is apt to throw in a g for a y, and so make me
say " lag aside," instead of " lay aside." Still, however,
the fault is mainly Aw, and the service rendered is a con-
siderable relief.

All this shall not prevent my responding in some way
to your letter of the 3d inst., if it be only to give a
proof how welcome it is to me to hear from you in this
way ; though you will_^excuse me if I here " lay aside,"
scribble on another paper, and get Caroline to transcribe.

[Well, but I shall try to go on myself] You request
an " answer" to your letter, and I will proceed accordingly,
offering some remarks in reference to the more material
parts, in the order as they occur.

In the first place, with respect to your course of read-
ing : your own acknowledgment stands as evidence that it
is rather injurious than profitable to the tone of your
mind and feelings ; and this being the case, you ought of
course to aim earnestly to repress and subdue an inordi-
nate indulgence in the perusal of light and trivial writings
calculated merely to amuse a lively and warm imagina-
tion. I am aware, indeed, that a person possessing your
taste cannot take much interest, or find much amusement,
in many of those matters and things which serve to fill up
the vacuum in dull, uncultivated minds, and that your
amusements must be sought (in part at least) in literary
pursuits. I admit also, that light reading, as distinguished
from the more solid, is, indeed, allowable ; yea, and that
fictitious reading, judiciously selected, and used only as a
condiment, or seasoning, may be entirely innocent ; but
the best sort of reading, in the multifarious productions

330 LETTERS.

of the day,- is that which combines instruction with enter-
tainment.

It is not, indeed, so readily that much of such reading
can be found ; but we shall not be entirely at a loss, if we
seek out for it. Most of the works of Charlotte Elizabeth
are of this description, and, I should think, are well
adapted to a correct and cultivated taste. We have her
works in three octavo volumes, with a portrait, (not pretty
at all ; her beauty was of the mental sort,) and some in
single volumes. You could have the use of these works.
And then, besides, some of the writings of Hannah More,
which are of this class ; her " Memoirs," (in two volumes,)
made up chiefly of her correspondence, is a work highly
entertaining. Here she is traced, from the gay young
lady, through the different stages of life, and mostly
among the literary and the great, becoming imbued with
religious sentiments, and devotedly religious, and ulti-
mately settling down into that staid, matronly state,
which procured for her the burlesque appellation of
" Queen of the Methodists," though she was not a Metho-
dist. I wish you could get this work. Caroline has it on
loan, and is reading it by snatches, as she can. I have
only dipped into it.

But you say, by way of apology, that you " have not
yet, like brother Andrew, been blessed with an experi-
mental knowledge of religion," &c. And why not, Colum-
bia % Are you prepared, with any good reason, to assign
why it should be thus 1 Alas, no ! for then you would
be excusable. What ! a sinner excusable for remaining
miconverted under gospel light and gospel promises ? —
for not loving the Saviour, and submitting to Him 1 It
cannot be. My dear Columbia, deceive not yourself, by
forming a vain apology as a resting-place for your spirit.

LETTERS. 331

Christ alone is that resting place. You must forsake all
others ; you must come to Him. And remember, " Noio
is the accepted time — now is the day of salvation."

I must stop here, and put off other matters for another
time. Your letters always interest me ; and if you will
write, I will give a receipt for yours, if nothing more, and
willingly pay the postage. And I will endeavor some-
times to make Caroline write for herself.

With love to Howard, Evelyn, &c., I am, dear Co-
lumbia,

Your affectionate fither,

A. Broaddus.

To A. Broaddus, Jr. :

Newtown, May 6th, 1847.

Dear Ju:'^ — I commenced this evening an answer to
your letter of the 4th instant, received this day by mail ;
but, on account of the stiffness of my fingers, which renders
writing a tedious exercise, I do not expect to finish my
undertaking in time for the mail to-morrow morning.
Indeed, so tedious do I often find this exercise, that I put
in requisition the services of Caroline, to copy what I pre-
viously scribble in pencil ; and, in this instance, shall pro-
bably have to do so.

It has frequently been on my mind, for a considerable
time past, to write you a long letter ; — not indeed in refer-
ence to the points which form the subject of your com-
munication— at least, not particularly on those points, but
on the more general subject of preaching ; but from time to

* " Ju," a sobriquet conferred on me, in early childhood, by my
father, as a title of endearment ; and ever afterwards used by him
as a substitute for my real name. — Ed.

332 LETTERS.

time I have postponed it. I thought that perhaps I might
be capable of dropping some hints and offering some re-
marks on that subject, which might aid you in the exercise
and improvement of your talents, in sermonizing, &c. ; and
I have felt some reproof from an apprehension that there
might seem to be a want of interest on my part, in your
advancement and success in the prosecution of this import-
ant undertaking. This, however, is far from being in reality
the case. I do, indeed, feel deeply interested in your suc-
cess, in whatever capacity it may please the sovereign
Disposer of our lots to place you — in wiiatever sphere of
action you may be called to move. And as your profes-
sion and confession of Christ has given me more heartfelt
satisfaction than any earthly promotion that could have
been your lot — so is now your usefulness in Ms cause more
desirable with me, on your behalf, than any other object,
much as I wish your well-being in all the relations and
circumstances of this life.

That you have this desire, too, I have no question —
grieved though you may be that it is not more fervent.
But the question now with you seems to be, in ichat
caioacihj your efforts and operations may best subserve this
desirable object : whether by public ministration, or by
more private action % In other words, w4iat is the will of
God in this case ?

This is certainly a very important question ; and the
conflicting feelings and perplexity of mind which you ex-
perience in regard to it, seem calculated to give it peculiar
interest. It is a question, however, which in some in-
stances appears not so readily to be decided on as you
may imagine. The will of God, in cases where we do not
expect a special revelation, is sometimes to be ascertained
by circumstances, which are not all at once or very speedi-

LETTERS. 333

ly developed : and in such cases, I know of no better
means to be used, than a 'patient and prayerful waiting
upon God, with a readiness of mind to do His will, and a
watchfulness of all circumstances that may he calculated to
indicate what that will may he.

" Lord, what wilt thou have me to do f In the mean-
time, I should by no means think it improper that you
should continue to exercise your gift, as occasion may call
for it, and opportunity occur, as well as to furnish your
mind with sacred knowledge, by reading and study. You
have the sanction and approbation of the Church for such
exercise : you will have, I trust, also, the approbation of
the great Master, in any such efforts to promote his cause ;
while, by the license which you have accepted, you are
not pledged to the ministry by any unconditional obli-
gation.

With the complaints which you urge against your-
self, most or all of those who engage in the work of preach-
ing, are, I presume, well acquainted ; for, alas ! we are
generally, I fear, very deficient : some, most so in gifts ;
some in graces, and many in hoth.

We are lacking in faith, in love, in zeal, in a deep, live-
ly, realizing sense of eternal truth ! You possess, I be-
lieve, some, at least, of the most important requisites for
this important work : — sincere piety, I trust, whatever
infirmities may accompany it ; real earnestness, whatever
it may lack in fervor ; a good degree of solemnity in mind
and manner ; and, in point of mental talents, you are no
doubt better furnished than many who are acceptable and
useful in the ministry : you compose a speech or address
well, and with a little more spirit, would deliver it well.
There is, indeed, a peculiar sort of gift for preaching, which
all talented men do not seem to possess ; but I see not

334 LETTERS.

why your "gift should not be of that sort, provided it were
properly cultivated.

If I were to point out what seems to be most wanting
in your speaking, I should say, as far as I can judge,
it is more spirit, pathos, or what is sometimes termed
unction. When this is genuine, (for some affect it who
have it not,) it arises from the influence of the '' Spirit of
Grace," shed on the natural gift or talent ; much, there-
fore, might be done towards an increase of this divine
unction, by earnest supplication for the " Spirit of Grace."
See how I can advise, and alas ! how lacking I am ! Often
does my little stock of S2nrif, of pathos^ run out before I
finish a discourse.

From what I have said, I hope you may gather some-
thing in answer to your letter, and what may suffice for the
present. And so, praying that you may be directed, and
encouraged, and strengthened against any temptation that
may assail your spirit, I remain, affectionately, &;c.

A. Broaddus.

P. S. Freely communicate to me ; and if I can render
you any aid, it will be a gratification to me.

To THE Mount Calvary Church, Sparta, Caroline :

Newtown, King and Queen, September Sth, 1847.
Dear Brethren : — In accepting the invitation which
you gave me, to serve you in the capacity of pastor of the
church, while deeply sensible of the favorable sentiments
and the kind Christian regard thus manifested towards me, it
was not my calculation to continue the relation thus formed
longer than such time as might appear to be requisite for

LETTERS. 385

rendering some services, which, under existing circum-
stances, another might not immediately have been fomid
to render. My advanced age, and consequent abatement
of strength and energy, would, without anything else, be a
sufficient reason against my continuing to occupy so exten-
sive a sphere of action, and to lie under the heavy respon-
sibility thus incurred. In the residue of the field of my
labors, I do not, indeed, and cannot, fulfill all the duties of
a pastor ; but the churches which I serve, kindly extend to
me their indulgence, as you likewise have done ; and two
of them have the services of a co-pastor, between both of
whom and myself there is a good understanding, and a
concert of action.

Two objects, in subservience to the cause of our divine
Master, were in my view in my acceptance of your invita-
tion. One was, in the first stage of your existence as a
church, to afford you such aid as I could, by supplying
your vacant pulpit, and by any other means in my power ;
the other object, and one of deep and peculiar interest, to
use my earnest efforts to inculcate a conciliatory spirit,
which, by forming a connecting link between the two
parties, created by a division of the Salem church, I
might be better prepared to attempt than any other
minister.

Now, in regard to both these objects, I believe I have
done what I could. I commit the matter to the great
Master, and humbly implore his acceptance of my efforts,
and his blessing upon them. And now, brethren, I resign
the charge which I received at your invitation, cherishing
for you, as a body, a high Christian regard and warm
affection, and offering for you my earnest prayers, that
you may be favored with His grace, to crown you with
spiritual prosperity and eternal blessedness.

336 LETTERS.

Let me be excused for adding a little with respect to
myself.

While readily admitting and lamenting, that in too many
instances, in the course of my life, I have grievously erred,
I can say, with respect to the part which I have acted in
the trying circumstances in which I have been placed, that
on a review of that part, I can see nothing of which to
accuse myself — I mean as to my aim and my general
course. That course has been before you. It has been
straight-forward : not temporizing, not giving one coloring
here, and another thei-e, in order to gain the favor of one
side at the expense of the other ; and, confidently may I
add, not with any view to earthly advantage, in any form
whatever. And here, brethren, I take occasion to say, that
for the services I have rendered you, such as they have
been, (poor enough, I know,) / ivill receive nothing hy way
of pecuniary coinj^ensation — nothing. Not that I think
the principle wrong : far from it. I hope your pastor,
whoever he may be, (may Christ provide you one !) will
not be neglected. It is not that I question your liherality ;
for, in my opinion, and I have a right to my opinion, you
have, in some respects, been more liberal than ought
in reason to have been expected. Nor is it that I am dis-
posed to reject the kindness of brethren presented in this
shape; by no means. But, because of the peculiar circum-
stances of this case it is, that I decline receiving anything
in return from the Mount Calvary church, except their
cordial good-will, their Christian regard, and their prayers.
These I would fain have.

Bear with my egotism a little longer; and then, after
some remarks offered in the spirit of faithfulness and
affection, I shall close this communication.

In none of your proceedings, as far as I have been con-

LETTERS.

337

cerned, have I striven or attempted to obtrude on you my
own opinion or advice. In a few instances I have suggested
what I thought the better course, and have assigned my
reasons for it. In this respect, perhaps, I may have been
too sparing ; but I escape at least the imputation of
assuming to myself a right to control the views of others.

A courteous attention I consider to be due to the opinions
of the members, from each other, reciprocally ; and certain-
ly a respectable share of it to the pastor ; but without con-
ceding to him, or to any member of the body, a dictato-
rial authority. The greater portion of intelligence, it must
be admitted, will generally be found in the smaller num-
ber of the members of a church ; and these, it must be ex-
pected, will take the lead and have the greater weight. It
devolves on them of course.

But it should be remembered that their responsibility is
increased accordingly ; and that to the Head of the Church
they are accountable for the exercise of that influence
which they may wield, aiming conscientiously and inde-
pendently for the good of the whole, and the advancement
of the common cause.

I conclude, brethren and sisters, with my earnest wishes
and my prayers, that a right spirit may pervade all your
operations ; while with unwearied zeal, and love to all the
household of faith, you continue to glorify God, " w^ho
hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light ;"
and w^hose servants you profess to be.

" The peace of God be with you all."

A. Broaddus.

338 LETTERS^

To A. Broaddus, Jr, ;

Newtown, October 6, 1847.

Dear Ju : — I received yours of yesterday's date by
mail to-day ; and being about to start on my trip in the
morning, 1 have to-night only for making out an answer
before I leave. I have been to meeting this evening, and
so have the night only for writing, and that with pencil, on
account of the extreme difficulty of wielding a pen.
Nevertheless, I proceed with the utmost readiness to give
you my thoughts on the important subject, which you
propose to my attention, looking to the " Counsellor,"
that I may say nothing that He would not approve.

Your views of this question, on the one hand and on
the other, (as far as you have given them,) appear to me
to evince a state of mind and feeling, such as might be
expected from one placed in such circumstances, and dis-
posed to ponder with a prayerful spirit all considerations,
in order to a conscientious and an enlijyhtened 'decision of
the question now at issue. I will add, that these views
appear also to be, in the main, proper and correct. I say
in the main. The difficulties, or " objections," which re-
spect your own case personally, are such as, I am per-
suaded, are not well founded, though it is not to be thought
strange that you should experience such trials.

You speak of your " unfitness and incompetency for
preaching at all." On this point, you are right, I think,
when you say, that " others, perhaps, are as good or better
judges" than yourself; and the verdict of the many is, I
believe, quite in favor of your talents in this regard. For
the time in which you have been thus engaged, my own
judgment would be, that the prospect is entirely promis-
ing, and that there is no reason for dissenting from the

LETTERS. 339

general opinion. It would seem, then, that, in as far as
your scruples about a " call to the ministry" arise from
an apprehension of " unfitness or incompetency," such
scruples ought to be dismissed.

But when there is, as you complain, your " want of zeal,
or sufficient desire for the glory of God, and the salvation
of men," certainly this great object ought to be the pre-
vailing motive for engaging in the work of the ministry,
and ought to govern all our operations in fulfilling the
duties appertaining to that work. But the zeal, or desire,
does not consist merely in fervor of feeling, desirable as
that may be, and is. A distinction which I lately re-
marked in an author, in treating of love to Christ and His
cause, is applicable here. He considers love as a princi-
ple and as an emotion, or lively feeling. Both are desira-
ble ; but the former is the more solid, permanent and
effective. The latter, without the former, soon burns out.
He strikingly illustrates the distinction, and shows the
superiority of the principle, in brief thus : A man has
left his family, and is traveling to the far West, under a
strong impression that he can find a settlement greatly to
their advantage. Love, as a principle, carries him. A
great distance on the way, at a post-office, he finds a letter
from home. His feelings are excited in a strong manner,
as he thinks of home. Love, as a mere emotion, would
turn him back ; but love, as a principle, determines him
to go on ; and, putting up his letter, on he goes. It is
certainly to be wished that your own mind should be de-
cided as to this point — ^I mean as to preaching ; but I hope
you may feel encouraged.

As to your own " faults and failings," you will hardly
become entirely satisfied there, and I wonder who will 1
" The responsibilities," and the burdens of the office,

340

LETTERS.

(pastoral,) are, indeed, weighty. This must be counted on ;
and, really a consciousness of this and of my own griev-
ous defects herein, serves, alas ! to weaken my confidence
in encouraging and counselling another. I have no doubt,
however, that it is practicable, through grace, to do much
better than I have done.

Thursday 7norning. — Could not get through last night,
and wish I may find time for it this morning. Tedious
for me to write.

The next requisite to a progress in the pastoral course 5
the next after the aid of divine grace, and one's own con-
sciousness of integrity, is the sympathy and concurrence
of the members, especially of the more influential mem-
bers. Alas for the pastor where a party, headed by a de-
magogue, a Diotrephes^ is formed against him ! May you
escape this !

The considerations which you mention in favor of your
acceding to this proposal, are very weighty ; and, although
I should prefer that ordination and acceptance of this call
should be deferred for some time, the circumstances of
the case may, I think, justify an earlier date for this ob-
ject than otherwise I should be disposed to recommend.
When, therefore, your own mind can be sufficiently set-
tled with respect to the points under consideration, I
should not object to your acquiescence in this request.

And my j^rayer is, that, in every respect, the " Father
of Lights" may direct and govern you, and that Christ
may be with you.

Affectionately,

A. Broaddus.

ESSAYS

(^u cKDEUgHiriil /fiitlj/

In the distribution of subjects for the present meeting,
it has fillen to my lot to make some remarks on " Evan-
gelical Faith ;" a few thoughts will accordingly be offered
on this important subject.

The term " important" will not here be considered as a
mere com7non-place expression. No attentive reader of
the holy volume can be ignorant that fiiith occupies a sta-
tion in the front of divine requirements, and is repre-
sented as indispensable to the very existence of true re-
ligion. The reason is obvious. The great objects of
religion do not present themselves immediately to our
outward senses. They are either spiritual objects, or
they are absent from us, and without the range of our
limited senses. And though, indeed, they are in a manner
brought down to our apprehension, through a medium
adapted to our senses, yet, strictly speaking, we see them
not — hear them not — handle them not. This being the
case, there must be awakened in us a principle which can
realize these distant objects — can apprehend these spirit-
ual things, as our senses apprehend bodily ones. And

* Read at a " Ministers' Meeting" in King and Queen County,
Virginia. — En.

342 ON EVANGELICAL FAITH.

hence our bodily senses are referred to, as figures to re-
present the operations of faith : seeing, hearing, tasting,
feeling, are applied to faith's exercises with respect to
spiritual objects. Faith thus gives subsistence to those
things which to us would otherwise be as though they
were not ; and hence it is said by the apostle to be " the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen." Heb. xi. 1. In proportion, then, as faith is in ex-
ercise, spiritual and eternal objects are recognized, are
realized, are brought to have an influence on the soul.
When faith is strong and vigorous, these objects appear
in vivid colors, and make a deep impression ; when faith
is slack and wavering, they appear but faintly to the
mind's eye, and their influence on the soul is propor-
tionally weakened.

From these considerations, and others that might be
mentioned, we shall not think it strange to find faith the
hinge on which onr salvation turns ; to hear an apostle
assert, that " without faith it is impossible to please God,"
(Heb. xi. 6,) or to hear the more awful declaration from
the lips of our Lord : " He that believeth not shall be
damned." Mark xvi. 16.

And now, from the great importance of faith, it must
be obvious of how deep interest must be the question :
what is " the faith of the gospel"—" the faith of God's
elect" — or that faith which brings salvation ? Into a brief
solution of this interesting question, let us now enter.

Faith, it will be readily admitted, in its strict abstract
sense, signifies the believing of a fact or a statement upon
testimony. But that " the faith of the gospel" includes
more than this, must be admitted, unless we say that
those Jews (chief rulers) had the faith of the gospel, who
believed on Christ, yet would not confess him, because

ON EVANGELICAL FAITH. 343

" they loved the praise of men more than the praise of
God ;" John xii. 42, 43 ; nay, miless Ave say that devils
have the faith of the gospel ; for " the devils believe and
tremble." James ii. 19.

The truth is, that the faith of the gospel — the faith that
brings salvation, takes a wider range in its operation than
a mere credence, or belief, in facts or truths ; it involves
the cordial reception of divine truth. 2 Thess. ii. 10. It
is not a mere assent of the mind, but an action of the
heart ; not only is the understanding exercised, but the
affections are called forth ; and hence it is said by the
apostle, (Rom. x. 10,) " with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness." If faith were a mere intellectual
exercise, involving no moral disposition, there could be
no criminality in unbelief, nor any virtue in believ-
ing. But the disposition of the heart obviously has its
influence to operate on the disposition, and incline the re-
luctant heart of rebellious man to receive " the love of
the truth." "Light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were
evil." John iii. 19.

To be a little more particular on this subject, I will ob-
serve, that faith has its degrees. The want of attention to
this consideration has served, I am persuaded, to bewilder
the mind in a discussion of the question of faith, and to
introduce confusion of ideas on this subject. It has been
said, for instance : " You exhort persons to pray for the
gift of faith ; how can they pray without faith 1 Faith is
the first exercise in religion." In reply to this argument,
or objection, I remark, that faith, in a certain degree, is,
indeed, the first exercise in religion : " He that cometh to
God must believe that he is." Here is a degree of faith,
which is proper as far as it goes. The belief of a God is

344 ON EVANGELICAL FAITH.

the first principle of all religion. But none will consider
this as amounting to the faith of the gospel, to justifying
faith. This degree of faith is requisite, in order to the
seeking of further degrees; but here the subject of such a
faith is only in the court of the great temple, and has not
even entered the porch : " Thou believest there is
one God," says James ; " thou doest well ; the devils also
believe and tremble."

But further ; such a person comes, we will suppose, to
understand and believe, through the medium of God's
word, that " there is one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus." 1 Tim. ii. 5. With this per-
suasion of mind and conscience, his heart may yet be un-
willing to submit to this mediator ; nay, may be opposed
to his offices and government. He has, then, even with
this additional degree of faith, hardly made a step to-
wards the holy temple of evangelical religion. He is yet
but in the court ; he is utterly destitute of justifying
faith.

Allow, then, that the subject we have taken as an ex-
ample, is persuaded of the necessity of seeking the divine
favor through the Mediator, and feels a desire to do so.
Now he has, indeed, moved forward, and now we may
consider him in the porch of the sacred temple. One de-
gree more is wanting ; there is still room fur him to pray
for justifying faith, and the proneness of the heart to un-
belief will surely teach him the necessity of prayer:
" Lord, I believe ; help thou my unbelief!"

What, then, is this justifying faith of which we speak —
this act which gives the soul an actual interest in Christ
Jesus, and carries it into the temple of God's favor ? I
answer, it is the committing of the soul fully, freely, un-
reservedly, to Jesus Christ, as the appointed Mediator

ON EVANGELICAL FAITH. 345

and King in Zion. " I know whom I have believed, and
am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have
committed to him against that day." 2 Tim. i. 12. To
such a person, I would say, the spirit of adoption belongs,
and he is entitled, according to the economy of grace, to
" rejoice in Christ Jesus ;" and I will add, when he sees
his case aright, he is enabled thus to rejoice — to rejoice in
the persuasion of his interest in the Saviour — to " rejoice
in hope of the glory of God." Romans v. 1,2.

But here I will take occasion to say, that this sense of
divine favor is not itself justifying faith, but the result of
it, or rather the consequence of a persuasion that the per-
son is interested in Christ. And, no doubt, there are
many w^ho really are the subjects of justifying faith, who,
nevertheless, from wrong views of their case, and, 1 may
add, from wrong views of the nature of justifying faith,
are deprived of the privilege which belongs to them — the
privilege of rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. As-
surance of a personal interest in Jesus Christ and his great
salvation is, I am persuaded, the privilege of true be-
lievers ; but either from the causes first mentioned, or
from the want of that diligence to which we are exhorted,
" to make our calling and election sure," too many, it is
probable, are living short of this privilege.

Permit me, brethren in the ministry, to suggest the ex-
pediency of paying a more marked attention to this mat-
ter than we have heretofore done. [It is possible, no
doubt, to assign too much to the constituting of justifying
faith, as well as too little ; and correct, evangelical teach-
ing might, through the influence of the Holy Spirit, enable
many sincere hearts to feel the liberty of God's children,
who are waiting for some manifestation, according to their
own view, and in a way in which it may not please God
15*

346 ON EVANGELICAL FAITH.

to give it.] It must be admitted, that a person may be in
a gracious state, without an assurance of the truth of it ;
and, on the other hand, that a satisfactory degree of assur-
ance on this important question, is actually attainable ;
and hence the apostle's exhortation : 2 Cor. xiii. 5. " Ex-
amine yourselves whether ye be in the faith," &c. [To
press this exhortation, laying down in a plain, scriptural
manner, the nature of justifying faith, and the gracious
fruits attendant on it, would serve, through the blessing
of God, to instruct the mass of the people — to bring out
" the hidden ones" — to confirm all real believers, impart-
ing good feelings on proper grounds ; and, at the same
time, to banish delusive hopes, founded on mere imagina-
tion, in the absence of that " faith which worketh by
love."]

Accept, brethren, my desire to throw some light on
this subject, and excuse the imperfection of the effort.

Andrew Broaddus.

t (Dhligntinn nf linnns eb tn Jfaitjr,

AN ESSAY FOR THE MINISTERS MEETING.

Brother Chairman and Brethren of the Meeting :

A question, it seems, is in agitation among the advocates
for salvation hj grace : " Whether it can be considered,
that, in a proper sense, evangelical faith in Christ is the
dut?/ of sinners." I do unhesitatingly take the affirmative
of this question, and will lay it down in the following
proposition, viz. : " Evangelical faith in Jesus Christ is
obligatory on sinners indiscriminately, wherever the gos-
pel is published. And this proposition I shall proceed to
establish. It is admitted, on both sides, that evangelical
or genuine faith is necessary to salvation ; it is also admit-
ted, that a species of faith, termed " historical," is the duty
of all who hear the gospel ; and the only question is, as to
duty or obligation^ in regard to evangelical, otherwise
termed saving faith. This question we view, not as a mere
speculation, but as an important point, meriting our seri-
ous consideration.

What are the difficulties or objections in the way of admit-
ting the validity of the proposition % They appear to con-
sist in these three considerations, namely :

1. The inability of sinners.

2. The divine origin of faith.

348 THE OBLIGATION OF SINNERS AS TO FAITH.

3. The nature of faith. To each of these items let us
pay attention.

I. The inahility of sinners. It is urged that sinners
being " dead in trespasses and sins," it is absurd to con-
sider it as their duty. I will not here enter into a disqui-
sition on this much vexed question, the nature of ability
and inahility. It shall suffice to say, that the inability
here alluded to, and made a plea, will be admitted, I pre-
sume, to consist in depravity : so at least I consider it ;
and it seems strange indeed, that depravity should be made
a plea for exemption from moral obligation ! Strange in-
deed ! But waiving even this consideration, lest I should
bring, by the way, another subject of discussion on my
hands, I will only say, that if the inability of the sinner, be
it of what nature it may, is to be considered as exempting
him from the obligation of " believing with the heart unto
righteousness," then, by the same token, he may be exone-
rated from all obligation to the performance of S2nritual
duties, of every sort ; for instance, from the obligation to
hate sin and forsake it, and to love God, and " worship
him in spirit and in truth." For, surely, it will not be
pretended, that there is more of ability in depraved nature,
to hate sin, and love God, than there is to exercise genuine
faith in Jesus Christ. See, brother Chairman, and breth-
ren all. the legitimate result of this objection ! The sinner
is, by consequence, excused from the exercise of all spirit-
ual duties^ and the limits of his religious obligations are
reduced to the performance of mere external services ;
that is, to the duty of bringing a skeleton of dry hones, as an
offering to the Holy One, who requires the heart to be
given to him. Now, this is a consequence from which we
think every friend to the interest of vital religion must
revolt ; and the objection from human inability must be

THE OBLIGATION OF SINNERS AS TO FAITH. 349

given up. The truth of the case is, the question of ability
and inability ought not to be, ever and anon, obtruded on
the subject of moral obligation. " In the beginning" it
was not so ; 1 mean in apostolic times ; and so it ought
not to be now.

II. The divine origin of faith is insisted upon as an ob-
jection to our proposition. Faith, it is argued, is the gift
of God, (Eph. ii. 8,) and therefore cannot be properly the
duty of the creature. An examination of this objection
will, I am persuaded, strip it of that plausibility which it
may appear to wear.

That faith, in a certain sense, is the gift of God, I readily
admit. There is sufficient evidence in the gospel, how-
ever, to induce faith, if the heart were disposed candidly to
admit its force ; and the character of Christ, as there re-
vealed, is surely -sufficiently glorious, to induce a cordial
acceptance of Him, and reliance upon Him, were it not for
the hostility of depraved nature, which stands in the way.
Now, allowing it to be the province of divine grace, by
imparting a new principle, not by creating a new faculty, to
remove the prejudice of the mind, and overcome the hos-
tility of the heart, the subject will thus be enabled, I should
say morally enabled, to " believe the record he has given
of his Son," and to receive and to rely on Jesus Christ for
salvation. And thus, faith is the gift of God.^ He that
can help us to a stronger view of the case, without making
man a mere machine, let him do it. Thus I say, it is
given to the sinner to believe : to do that which he was
bound to do, irresjyective of this fact. As inability, so
called, or the depravity of the heart, does not exempt the
sinner from his obligation to believe in Christ ; so neither
does the fact, thut faith is the gift of God, discharge him
from that obliojation. If he has no heart to believe, stillhe

•350 THE OBLIGATION OF SINNERS AS TO FAITH.

ought to believe ; and if God has given him to believe, this
is no argument that it was not his duty.

But if this ground of objection be still insisted on, then
permit me to remark, that the same consequence is involved,
as in the objection grounded on the sinner's inability. All
spiritual exercises, such as repentance, hatred of sin, love
to God, &c., are, I may presume to say, as really the gifts
of God, as faith in Christ. And are any of the friends of
evangelical religion prepared to say, that the sinner, in
regard to all these, is fi-ee from obligation 1 Take, for in-
stance, love to God. This is required by the law, as well
as the gospel. But love is one of the fruits of the Spirit.
Gal. V. 22. Love, then, as well as faith, is the gift of
God. And shall we be driven, for the sake of consistency
with our system, to say, that sinners lie under no real ob-
ligation to love God ? Forbid it. Heaven ! I am aware,
indeed, that it may be urged, love is a legal requisition ;
and the requirements of the law are binding on sinners.
So, then, sinners are bound to obey the Almighty, in the
mere character of Lawgiver, but they are released from
obligation to his high behests, as seated on " the Throne of
Grace !" But this by the way. I say that this plea does
not relieve the difficulty. The ground on which the ob-
jection stands is this, that faith is the gift of God. In
reply, I remark, that love too, is the gift of God ; and if
there be, therefore, an inconsistency in considering one as
a duty, so must there be in considering the other to be so :
this plea to the contrary notwithstanding. Were it necessa-
ry, brother Chairman, it would not be difficult to show, that
those very spiritual exercises which God requires of us, he
graciously promises to give ; and that, at the same time, it
behooves that o\n prayers should be addressed to Him for
these blessings. Requirements, promises, and prayers,

THE OBLIGATION OF SINNERS AS TO FAITH. 351

regard the same objects. The position might be exempli-
fied ; but I pass on.

III. The nature of faith ^ according to the view which
some take of it, forms another objection to our proposition,
that men are indiscriminately required, where the gosjDcl
comes, to believe in Jesus Christ. " Faith, say some,
evangelical faith, is a persuasion of the soul that Christ is
mine, and that I am his ; or, in other words, that I have a
saving interest in Jesus Christ." And then, as all men
cannot consistently have this persuasion, inasmuch as it
would be false, the conclusion is, that it cannot be the duty
of men, indiscriminately, to exercise genuine faith in
Christ.

To this I reply, by demurring, at the outset rather, by
directly objecting to this account of faith : and as this
forms the ground or premise of the argument on which
the conclusion rests, if the former should be found to fail,
the latter, of course, must fall to the ground. I undertake
to say, then, and I challenge proof to the contrary, that
evangelical or scriptural faith does not consist in a persua-
sion that the subject is personally and savingly interested
in Christ. That such a persuasion is expressed by several
of the inspired writers, I do readily concede : " My be-
loved is mine, and I am his ;" — " Christ loved rae, and gave
himself for me," &c. ; and that this previous privilege is
attainable by believers in general, I consider an import-
ant truth. But this privilege of fiiith is by no means
identical with /a^V/i itself: and without entering, at present,
on a consideration of the injurious consequence resulting
from this view of faith, I must be permitted to ask, by
what scriptural evidence can it be made to appear, that
this is a correct view "? Not by such passages as those
above quoted ; for these prove no more than that such is the

352 THE OBLIGATION OF SINNERS AS TO FAITH.

2nivilege of believing. Not by any of those where faith is
required, where the necessity of it is represented, or where
its nature is illustrated. In no passage of scripture, indeed,
can I find authority for considering evangelical faith to con-
sist in a persusion that the subject is savingly interested
in Jesus Christ ; or that this persuasion, however desirable
and attainable, is necessary to the existence of faith. On the
contrary, 1 find something militating against this doctrine.
The exhortation to professors, " Examine yourselves,
whether ye be in the faith," 2 Cor. xiii. 5, implies the pos-
sibility of the existence of faith without this persuasion :
otherwise, the examination would be superfluous. Let pro-
fessors of the faith aim at the attainment of this persua-
sion, by clear views of the truth, and by all scriptural
means ; but let them not think that this is saving ^faith :
lest, on the one hand, they despond when they ought to be
strengthened; or, on the other, presume when they ought
to examine.

If these remarks are not sufficient to invalidate this view
of faith, let us see if it be not reducible to an absurdity.
Observe then, brethren, it is said, " faith is a persuasion
that 1 am personally and savingly interested in Jesus
Christ." Now, according to the scriptures, I must have
faith, before I can consider myself thus interested in him ;
then, according to this view, I must he persuaded that I
really am interested in Christ, before I can consider myself
to be so : which is an absurdity. Try the matter in
another form ; perhaps it may be more plain.

Faith is necessary to a state of salvation.

But faith is a persuasion that I am in a state of salva-
tion.

Therefore, I must be persuaded that I am in a state of
salvation, in order that I may he in a state of salvation :

THE OBLIGATION OF SINNERS AS TO FAITH. 353

that is, I must be j^ersuaded that I am in a state of salva-
tion before I really am so ; and this persuasion is to make
me so ! To this glaringly absurd issue, comes this erro-
neous view of faith, when combined with the necessity of
faith to salvation. If any person should be disposed to
ask, what is the matter with this syllogism, that it works so
perversely 1 I answer, there is in it a mixture of truth and
error, and they will not agree together. The major pro-
position is tonie : " Faith is necessary to a state of salva-
tion ;" but the minor is false^ namely, that " faith is a
persuasion that I am in a state of salvation ;" and so the
conclusion comes out a glaring absurdity.

What then, it may be inquired, is that faith which the
gospel represents as necessary to salvation ? I answer,
" A well grounded persuasion that Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, is the appointed Saviour of Sinners ; with a cordial
submission to him, and a hearty consent to receive and
rely on him, in that character." Not designing, at present,
nor thinking it expedient, to treat on the nature of faith,
further than appears requisite to the point under considera-
tion, I cannot here undertake to amplify this view of the faith
of the gospel, nor to produce numerous quotations in its
support. I shall deem it sufficient to refer you to two
passages, and leave the matter to your flirther examination.
John i. 12, and 2 Tim. i. 12 : "But as many as received
him, to them gave he j^ower to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name." Here receiving
Christ, and believiiig on his name, are identical. " For I
know whom I have believed, [margin, ' trusted,'] and am
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have com-
mitted to him," &c. Now, when we so believe in Christ,
as to receive him, and so trust him as to commit our souls
to him, we have the faith of the gospel, and are in a state

354 THE OBLIGATION OF SINNERS AS TO FAITH.

of salvation ; and when we are enabled to feel that we have
thus confided in him, why then we see ourselves in a state
of acceptance ; and are enabled to "rejoice in hope of the
glory of God." Here, all is consistent. We first believe
in Jesus Christ, and then this sense of acceptance follows,
as the fruit of faith, or faith"*s privilege ; and a divine joy,
if we clearly see our case, is the happy consequence.

Now, if this be a correct view of faith, and we think it
can hardly be invalidated, who will say that sinners indis-
criminately ought not to exercise it ? To me it would
appear to be a perilous venture. Review this matter.
" Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the appointed Saviour of
Sinners : — a cordial submission to him, and a hearty con-
sent to receive and rely on him, in that character." Breth-
ren, is there one item here that any sinner ought to oppose 1
I say 02^2>ose : for, remember, there is no neutrality, no
medium between acceptance and rejection, in this case,
Matt. xii. 30 ; and if the sinner is not bound to receive
Christ, he is at liberty to reject him. At liberty to reject
Jesus Christ! Who is prepared to abide this consequence %
None, I trust, who are friends to the interest of the Re-
deemer. So, then, brethren, we presume to say, this third
objection must be given up ; and we now introduce our pro-
position, relieved of the difficulties with which it appeared
to be clogged. " Evangelical or genuine faith is obligatory
on sinners indiscriminately, wherever the gospel is pub-
lished."

In bringing this proposition again to view, brother Chair,
man, I am almost ready to ask myself, wiiy have I been
spending labor superfluously ? Why have I been meet-
ing objections, and laboring to surmount difficulties, when,
over the head of all opposition, the voice of scripture,
our only standard, speaks, trumpet-tongued, in favor of

THE OBLIGATION OF SINNERS AS TO FAITH. 855

the point I am here advocating 1 To that voice, in its plain,
unvarnished construction, let us now attend, and a short
time will suffice for our purpose.

It is admitted that evangelical faith is necessary to salva-
tion. On this point all are agreed. The only question is,
whether it is represented in the form of a command, and as
an obligation or duty enjoined on man ; or, in the form of
a smijyle statement, showing that faith must exist. Let us
hearken and decide. Some of those passages of scripture,
of which it might be said that they show only the necessity
of faith, bear strongly the features of obligation ; such as
John viii. 24 : " If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall
die in your sins ;" and others that might be quoted. But
I will not insist on such as these : let us begin with one
that presses more closely.

Acts xvii. 30, 31 : " But now God commandeth all men
everywhere to repent ; because he hath appointed a day in
which he will judge the world in righteousness," &c. Here,
by im2)lication, the point appears to be proved, and thus
we make it evident. It is evangelical, genuine repentance,
which is here commanded, because it is that sort which pre-
pares men for the judgment. And evangelical repentance,
it will be admitted, is inseparably connected with saving
faith : and therefore, in commanding repentance, faith is
also virtually commanded. Similar evidence might be ad-
duced in abundance : for all those scriptures which enjoin
on man the obligation to turn to God, or be converted, to
seek the Lord, to serve and worship him, &c., do, in effect,
enjoin the obligation of faith. In the answer which our
Lord gave to the Jews, (John vi. 29,) faith is represented as
a duty, by consequence or implication, amounting to unde-
niable proof: " This is the w^ork of God, that ye believe
on him whom he hath sent." This, be it observed, was in

35G THE OBLIGATION OF SINNERS AS TO FAITH.

answer to the question, verse 28, " what shall we do that
we might work the works of God ?" Answer : " This is
the work of God ;" that is, this is doing the work of God?
or the work which God requires, " that ye believe," &c.
Is not this, then, expressive of an obligation to believe ?
But I do not mean to let the issue of this question rest on
inferential evidence exclusively, no matter how strong.
Come we now to direct proof.

Mark i. 15 : " The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God is at hand ; re2oent ye, and believe the Gospel." This
is the text or theme of our Lord's public ministrations,
when he came into Galilee, verse 14, " preaching the gos-
pel of the kingdom of God." Eepentance and faith are
here explicithj enjoined ; audit is obvious that this repent-
ance, and this faith, were such as would produce a meetness
for membership in the kingdom of God. Brethren, let me
be found in company with the great Master, even though
I should incur the risk of being called by some, a legal
ineaclier. One such passage as this, the very theme of
our Saviour's ministrations, is itself a host : it might well
close the climax of evidence here introduced, and ought to
be deemed sufficient to establish our proposition. But
another testimony, equally strong, is at hand, and I shall
bring it forward. John xii. 35, 36 : " Then Jesus said
unto them, yet a little while is tlie light with you. Walk
w^hile ye have the light, lest darkness come upon ye : for
he that walketh in darkness, knoweth not whither he goeth.
While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be
the children of light." Here is a positive injunction, ad-
dressed to the cavilling Jews, (see verse 34,) to believe in the
light ; and let it not be said, that this was mere historical
faith; for it is added, "that ye may be the children of
light." And it is remarkable, that this injunction was addres-

THE OBLIGATION OF SINNERS AS TO FAITH. 857

sed to a set of unhappy creatures, who were ultimately given
up, according to the prediction of Isaiah, to judicial blind-
ness and hardness of heart ; verse 39, 40 : " Therefore they
could not believe, because that Esaias said again. He hath
blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they should
not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and
be converted, and I should heal them." O ! if there had been
present on this occasion an apologist for human inability,
how appositely might he have reminded the Great Teacher
of the inconsistency of exhorting such creatures to " believe
in the light, that they might be the children of light !" Breth-
ren, is not the point settled*? Other evideneei;o the same
purpose might easily be adduced; but it is- not deemed
necessary at present to draw further on the oracles of
truth for the establishment of our proposition.

Permit me, in conclusion, brother Chairman, to express
my earnest and affectionate wish, that we who are here,
and all our brethren, may be enabled to throw off all the
trammels of mere human authority, make the word of
truth our guide, and " stand perfect and complete in all
the will of God."

" Grace, mercy and peace !"

A, B.

II /uitji in (luljrist

To THE Editor of the Religious Herald:

Dear Sir : — ^Your correspondent, " One of the Peo-
ple," requests that I should say something more in regard
to the proposition, that " faith in Christ is the duty of sin-
ners." I am pleased with the spirit in which this writer
descants on the subject; (this is the spirit in which reli-
gious discussions should be carried on ;) and I do, with
pleasure, undertake to offer a few remaks, in compliance
with his request.

As far as I can judge from the communication before
me, it may suffice, in this case, to notice the objections or
difficulties suggested by your correspondent, as standing
in the way of the above proposition. If these can be ob-
viated, the arguments and quotations in the essay referred
to, may be presumed sufficient to establish the point in
question.

I am glad to find " One of the People" going so far as
to say, " the offer of salvation is made to the sinner ;" or,
if it should be more agreeable to some scrupulous theolo-
gians, we may say, the invitations of the gospel are given
to him. Your correspondent, then, seems to stand on the
middle ground, between my view of the matter, and that

ON FAITH IN CHRIST. 35'^

of a strait-laced systematic, who maintains that we have
nothing more to do with siimers, than merely to make a
statement of the ruined condition of man — dead in tres-
passes and sins, and the necessity of his being quickened
by grace, and having an interest in Christ. " The offer of
salvation is made to him ;" or the invitations of the gos-
pel are given to him, and motives arising from "the
terror of the Lord," on the one hand, and " the enjoyment
of a glorious immortality," on the other, are placed before
him. But your correspondent seems to think, that faith
(by which the blessing of salvation is realized) cannot be
considered the duty of the sinner, in any other sense than
as self-preservation is his duty. Here we differ ; and I
must be permitted to remark, that this sentiment of the
writer appears to be the result of a defective view of the
motives which actuate us in the exercise of faith. Self-
love is not the only principle addressed in the gospel mes-
sage ; self-preservation is not the only end we should
have in view. If " One of the People" will reflect on the
tenor of God's revelation to man, and consult his own ex-
perience, I feel confident he will find, not only self-love,
and selfpreservation, but some other and more noble
principle and motive, brought into the account, in the
affair of man's salvation. Faith is not only the instru-
ment of salvation ; it honors God ; it honors Christ, and
is a recognition of his redeeming grace. And here comes
up the question : Is there no obligation on the sinner to
all this ; or is he answerable merely for that breach of
duty which consists in neglecting his own best interest ?

That "glorious immortality" to which the gospel in-
vites us, is, indeed, received " as a free gift." And your
correspondent asks, " Is the reception of this gift a duty
or a 'privilege .^" I answer, it is both ; it. is both a duty

360 ON FAITH IN CHRIST.

and a privilege to receive God's great gift of Christ to
man, and with him all the blessings appertaining to that
glorious immortality. And here I would ask the writer
to turn to the 14th chapter of Luke, and review the para-
ble of " the Wedding Supper," and see, in the great fea-
tures of that 25ai-ablc, an exemplification of the answer
here given. The Master of the feast was angry. And
why "? Was it merely because the rejecters of the invita-
tion lost the enjoyment of the supper ? Surely not. The
rejection was an insult to his hospitality — a dishonor to
the feast.

" Can it be a duty to receive a gift V Certainly it
may. But I will state the objection in its strongest form,
and as I am persuaded your correspondent intended it
should be understood. Well, then, faith itself is the gift
of God ; and how can it be the duty of any one to have
it, unless, indeed, it might be said that faith is offered;
and this presents but an awkward idea. Blessings may
be said to be offered to faith ; but I should not say that
faith itself is offered. Thus, then, stands the difficulty ;
and in attempting its solution, I wish to be plain and
simple.

I remark, then, at the outset, that the difficulty arises
chiefly, (as I conceive,) from an improper view of the
gift of faith. It appears here to be conceived, that faith
is given to the soul, pretty much in the manner in which
a piece of gold is given to the hand ; that is, as a thing
entirely extraneous to the soul, until it is bestowed. Let
me offer some correction of this view. The faculty of
faith is surely in every moral agent — I mean the natural
faculty of believing and confiding ; and it is admitted, on
all hands, that regeneration, while it implants a new privi-
lege, does not create any new faculty. It is, then, by the

ON FAITH IN CHRIST. 361

exercise of the natural faculty of faith, that we come to
believe in Jesus Christ, and cast ourselves on him. The
gift of faith, therefore, does not imply the bestowal of any
new fiiculty or attribute of the soul. Further : the exer-
cise of faith, or faith's action, is ours. It is our act. Other-
wise man is a mere machine, and not a rational creature —
a moral agent. The gift of faith, therefore, does not im-
ply that God exercises faith in us. Yet, " it is given us
to believe." And how '? I answer — by " the renewal of
the spirit of the mind ;" by which, a new principle being
implanted, the soul is disposed and enabled to exercise the
faculty of faith, in regard to Jesus Christ, believing in
Him, receiving Him, trusting on Him. Now, that state
of heart which induces this exercise of faith, is what none
of us naturally possesses. It is, however, what we ought to
possess, and it is, I add, what God graciously bestows.

From these considerations we arrive at the conclusion,
that faith in Jesus Christ is a glorious privilege — an impe-
rious duty^ and a precious gift^ and that man, destitute of
it, is the subject, both of com^oassion and of blame. The
same may be said of other exercises w^iich belong to the
character of a renewed sinner, such as godly sorrow for
sin ; repentance unto life ; love to God ; delight in his
.service, &;c.

These remarks are deemed sufficient to the object in
view, and, it is hoped, may be satisfactory, in some de-
gree, to your correspondent.

Grace, mercy and peace !

A. Broaddus.

€^t (!5illiliilinn nf i\)t (gnspie

TO ELDER A. C. DEMPSEY.

Newtown, Kinr/ d' Queen, Jan., 1843.

Dear Brother : — Willing to contribute, according to
my ability, to the general treasury of sacred knowledge,
or rather to aid, as 1 can, in bringing forth, in their own
proper form, those truths which are in the divine treasury,
I cheerfully respond to your request, and shall proceed to
present my view of the exhibition of the gospel, having
regard, in doing so, to the statement which you have
made, of the course pursued by yourself and your fellow-
laborers, in the late revival with which your region of
country has been favored.

Amidst the conflicting views which for some time past .
have agitated the religious community, with respect to
the matter now presented to our attention, it is surely de-
sirable, and highly so, to ascertain the true scriptural re-
presentation of those requirements which the gospel
makes, of all who come within the range of its authority ;
those exercises of mind, I mean, which are necessary to a
cordial reception of the gospel, and a state of acceptance
with God ; in a word, which constitute a scriptural con-
version to God. And having ascertained this important

THE EXHIBITION OF THE GOSPEL. 363

point, it must be equally desirable and proper, that this
representation be adhered to, cut as it may^ on the right
hand, or on the left.

I have thought much on this matter; more for some
fe\V years past than formerly. This may naturally
enough be accounted for from the fact above mentioned —
the conflicting views which have been exhibited. Ex-
tremes, I am persuaded, have been maintained, on this
hand and on that: but if the truth can be thus struck out,
though the brilliant spark, as in the collision of flint and
steel, may belong exclusively neither to the one nor the
other, it will not be the less valuable on that account.

Extremes, I have said, have been maintained in these
conflicting views. On the one hand, while evangelical
truth has not been lost sight of, and while great good has
been done through its vital influence, it has at the same
time been often so wrapt in the drapery of human imagin-
ings, as greatly to mar its beauty and detract from its force.
And then, on the other hand, views have been insisted on,
which seem to strip the gospel exhibition not only of
these wrappings, but also, (if I may use the figure,) of its
very flesh and sinews ! Let me exemplify in both
cases.

Some of our brethren, in detailing the particulars
which they consider necessary to conversion, or in what
has been termed, preaching an experience, have encum-
bered the subject with a mass of extraneous matter. There
must be a long spell of deep compunction ; perhaps a
state of desjKLir as to divine mercy ; there must be a jea-
lous caution on the part of the penitent, that he catch not
too soon at the promise of salvation ; there must be a
series of earnest praying, day after day, an unwearied

364 THE EXHIBITION OF THE GOSPEL.

perseverance in seeking for pardoning mercy.* And then,
if the inquirer has not yet found " peace in believing," he
is told, perhaps, that he must lie at the pool ; be found in
the use of the means, and wait God's time ! All this, in-
stead of pressing on him the exercise of that faith which
brings peace to the soul — the apostle's answer to the
inquiring jailor, " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved." This pla7i, it must be acknow-
ledged, is discouraging enough ! — ^moreover, it tends to
cherish a legal spirit ; and, what is worse, it is contrary to
the tenor of the gospel. But few of our ministers, I trust,
are now found holding forth such views ; but the evil is
not thoroughly corrected, and erroneous impressions still
linger in the minds of the people.

But here comes the other extreme, in which, when it
is carried fully out, the gospel proclamation is strijDped to
the bones, and stands forth a naked skeleton. Here
nothing more seems to be required, than that you should
be convinced of the error of your way — determine to re-
form— ^believe, simply believe, that Jesus is the true Mes-
siah, and be baptized for the remission of sins. I need
not say that I here allude to " proclaimers of the Refor-
mation ;" not that I consider them all as maintaining such
a system ; nay, not that I charge any of them with carry-
ing it fully out. I do not know that it is the case ; but this,
I think, may be said, that some of them appear to have
favored it, and have so expressed themselves as to give
occasion for such a construction. I was gratified to learn,
from an intelligent friend who heard Mr. Campbell in

* Some years ago, I changed, in a hymn which appears in the
Virginia Selection, a line reading thus : '' Of seeking, pray do not
be weary;" substituting this line: "0, do not despair of his
mercy !"

THE EXHIBITION OF THE GOSPEL. 365

Eichmoncl, at his late visit, that he took special care to
guard against this naked abstract notion of gospel faith.

What, then, are the requirements to be presented to
sinners in an exhibition of the gosjDel 1 What the exer-
cises constituting a scriptural conversion ? Paul, you
know, has comprehended them under the terms, " repent-
ance toVard God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."
Acts XX. 21. There is a perfect fitness, congruity, in the
requisition : " repentance towards God," as he is the of-
fended sovereign ; " faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ,"
as he is the Eedeemer, through whom we must look for
deliverance. And what is repentance ? A change — a
change in mind, in heart, and by consequence, in conduct.
Acts xxvi. 20. And what is faith in Jesus Christ *? A
belief that he is the only and all-sufficient Saviour of sin-
ners, with a yielding of the heart and a committing of the
soul to him as such. Eom. x. 10. 2 Tim. i. 12.

To induce these exercises, there must be awakened in
the breast of the sinner a consciousness of guilt — a deep
sense of the evil of sin not only in regard to its conse-
quence, but as to its nature — a godly sorrow on account of
transgression and slighted mercy, and a full persuasion
that he needs the Saviour, as revealed in the gospel, to
deliver him from this state. Of course, in such a state,
he must feel himself under condemnation. But surely he
needs not, he ought not to despair, for Christ is set before
him, "able to save them to the uttermost that come unto
God by him," and " in no wise" disposed to " cast out
him that cometh."

Now, let us suppose such a person anxiously inquiring,
what he shall do to be saved ? Shall we tell him to lie
in the use of the means, and wait God's time ? — that is, a
time when he shall hear some voice, or feel some impulse,

366 THE EXHIBITION OF THE GOSPEL.

telling him that his sins are pardoned, and he is accepted 1
Where is the scripture authority for this "? No! Tell
him as Paul told the jailor, in answer to the same ques-
tion, " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved." Tell him, as a condemned and lost sinner, to
yield his heart to Christ — to cast his soul on him, and find
that "joy and peace in believing," which all his workings,
and all his penances, can never procure. This evidence in
the heart — this sense of divine acceptance, which some
consider the very essence of evangelical faith, is the re-
sult of faith ; the spirit of adoption, crying " Abba,
Father ;" and this spirit, if penitent sinners were rightly
taught, they would straightway possess upon believing.
Witness the case of Zaccheus — of the Pentecostal hearers,
of the jailer, &c.

But here, my good sir, while I concur with you in the
main, and most heartily approve of your earnest efforts
in opposing and correcting that legal spirit, which thinks,
by doing penance, to win the divine favor, I am con-
strained, (if I rightly understand your statement,) in some
measure to differ from the course which you have laid
down. It seems that you checked and discountenanced
the use of prayer, on the part of anxious inquirers, con-
sidering it absurd and improper for unbelievers : " How
shall they call on him in whom they have not believed f
I have no question that prayer, or rather the imitation of
prayer, where there is no faith, is senseless formality and
mere mockery. It is necessary, I readily admit, that
there should be a measure of faith in order to prayer ; so
also in regard to repentance ; both penitence and prayer
keep pace with faith. But I consider fliith as having its
degrees ; from the first rudiments of it in the mind, to
that maturity of action by w^hich it confides the soul to

THE EXHIBITION OF THE GOSPEL.

367

Christ, and the believer stands justified before God.
There must be an incipient stage or degree of faith, by
which credence is given to the truth exhibited, otherwise
we could never get hold of the minds of our hearers.
But there may be more than mere credence, without the
confiding, justifying act; there may be a measure of faith
by wdiich prayer shall be rendered consistent ; and will
not such an exercise be suitable and proper ? The
awakened sinner, we may suppose, feels strongly appre-
hensive that he is under guilt and condemnation. Shall
he not pray, with the convicted publican, " God be merci-
ful to me a sinner f He has heard of Christ in the gos-
pel, and feels persuaded that he must receive him by
faith. But he finds a difficulty, from the unbelieving ten-
dency of his heart, in casting himself unreservedly on the
Saviour. Shall he not say with him of old, " Lord, I be-
lieve ; help thou my unbelief V^ You say, very pro-
perly, concerning the work of the Holy Spirit, that it is
" a work by which they (sinners) are made to discern, to
believe, and to receive the revelation already made and
recorded in the word of God." How then can it be impro-
per that an aw^akened individual — an anxious inquirer,
should pray to be thus favored ? Let him, indeed, not be
told to w\ait yonder in the use of the means ; let him be
called to come straightway to the Redeemer ; but let him
come in the spirit of humble earnest prayer, and in that
spirit cast himself at the feet of Jesus.

Possibly I may have misunderstood you. If you mean
to impugn the plan which puts prayer in the place of a
confiding faith in the Saviour of sinners — which requires
the awakened sinner to w^ait in prayer for an immediate
revelation of divine acceptance, instead of trusting in the
Saviour for the attainment of that blessing ; if this be the

368 THE EXHIBITION OF THE GOSPEL.

intendment of what you have said on this point, then I
do not see that herein I differ fj-orn you in sentiment,
though I might not think that you have expressed yourself
as perspicuously here, as in the rest of your communica-
tion.

I will only add, that I presume you press on the young
converts the importance of that ordinance, (baptism.)
which is the mutual pledge of acceptance between Christ
and the believer ; the outward form of the soul's internal
espousals to the Saviour, and the distinctive badge of the
subjects of our Lord's Kingdom on earth.

With best wishes for your prosperity,

I am yours in the truth,

A. Broaddus.

TO PHILANDER.
No. I.

Dear Sir : — A short piece from your pen, in a late
Herald, on Ability and Inability^ which meets my cordial
approbation, has served to recall my attention to a design
which I had for some time conceived, of addressing you
on a topic of deep interest to my feelings ; no douht to
yours also, and to the feelings of many others — I mean
the state of things in some of our churches, and the great
question as to the ground of union, or the test of church
fellowship. I enter now on the execution of that design,
with a view to elicit from you some communication,
which, through the divine blessing, may throw light on
the subject, and serve to aid in settling this important
question. Life with me is now far advanced in the wane,
and I would do something for the help of our Zion before
I go hence. You, I have no doubt, feel the same disposi-
tion.

In some sections of our state, as far as 1 can learn, our
brethren have long made, or attempted to make. Hyper
Calvinism the test of fitness for church fellowshij?. In
others they are, in some instances, not only verging to-
wards Campbellism, but have actually fillon into it. I
16*

370 CHURCH UNION.

view both these courses as extremes, inimical to the pros-
perity of vital evangelical godliness, and as calculated to
jiroduce discord and disunion ; and the question occurs :
What shall be proposed, in love, in meekness, and in
faithfulness, as a remedy for this inauspicious state of
things'? The church, we may remember, is yet in the
wilderness, and it is no wonder that difficulties should be
found in the way of her movements. We must do the
best that, under existing circumstances, we can do, pray-
ing, and helping forward " till the consummation, so de-
voutly to be wished for," and Zion shall come forth
arrayed in the full dress of evangelical truth and holiness.
In the mean time, to settle, with some degree of satisfac-
tion, the question as to church-fellowship and union, must
be acknowledged an important desideratum.

First, I present this query : Can w^e acquiesce in the
ground which Mr. A. Campbell has taken — viz. : To re-
quire no other condition than an acknowledgment of the
Scriptures, particularly the New Testament, as our only
guide — an avowal of faith in Jesus Christ as the Saviour
of sinners, and a manifestation of submission to him by
the act of immersion 1 This, I believe, is a fair statement
of the ground proposed by him ; and this, indeed, may
seem plausible. But would not a confusion of tongues
presently take place, and turn the church into another
Babel %

That the Bible, and especially the New Testament, is
the platform for the church, we readily agree, yea, and
maintain that it is the only standard by which our fliith
and practice must be tried. But will the conditions pro-
posed answer the purpose 1 I trow not. It is very possi-
ble to maintain views radically wrong of the person of
Christ, where he is acknowledged, in so many words, to

CHURCH UNION. 371

be " the Son of God," and where submission to him is de-
clared by immersion. Robert Robinson, of Cambridge,
wrote his History of Baptism after he became a Socinian.
And is it of no importance, as to Christian fellowship,
what one thinks of Christ, whether he is truly divine, or
only an angel, or even a mere man ^ It is very possible,
no doubt, to acknowledge, in so many words, that Jesus
Christ is the Saviour of sinners, where views of salvation
are entertained, which are radically defective, according to
the scriptural representation, and the experience of every
renewed heart. Yes ; it is doubtless very possible, that
the above-mentioned avowal, in so many words, without
any illustration, may be connected with a denial of truth,
which we consider essential to the support of the Christian
system ; such as the divinity of Christ ; atonement by
His blood ; the influence of His spirit ; justification by
faith, &c., and with those who set at nought such truths, I
could not agree to fraternize.

On this ground of fellowship, I have thought much —
thought intensely, and was willing to exchange a letter or
two with Mr. C. himself, on this interesting question, and
certain points connected with it. But an answer which I sent
some months past, to a friendly letter from that gentle-
man, not having been acknowledged by him, either pub-
licly or privately, I consider it not improbable that my
letter may have miscarried ; and since I have seen Mr. C.
representing a number of us as being disposed to im-
prison, banish, or burn the " Reformers," I have concluded
that the correspondence might as well be declined.

Secondly, I present another query. Will a system of
high-toned or Hyper Calvinism serve as the bond of
union ? I should answer, no. Not only do the great

372 CHURCH UNION.

body of our people know nothing about such a system ;
and not only would they refuse, if they knew, to accede to
it ; but, more than this, it is wrong ; (I speak for myself;)
it is in some respects unscriptural, and it exhibits divine
truth in an unscriptural way. What think you, my dear
sir, of such a sentiment as this : " Sinners are not called
on to act saving faith in Jesus Christ, because that is the
gift of God. They are required only to exercise natural
or historical taith, and to use the means of grace." Strange
indeed ! And is not every religious exercise of the heart
as much the gift of God as faith 1 and must not the
means of grace be used with holy motives *? Is this, then,
scriptural faith ; or, is it an unscriptural deduction from a
system ^ And what think you of such a declaration as
this : " Sinners are going on in the road to destruction,
but, poor creatures, they cannot help it ;" and thus to
leave the matter, without exhorting them to cry to Him
who is able to deliver, and fly for refuge to the hope set
before them. Is this the scriptural way of exhibiting
divine truth ? Surely, " this is a lamentation, and shall
be for a lamentation."

Thirdly, I have yet to present another query. Shall we
propose as the test of fellowship, any detailed confession
of faith, how orthodox and correct soever we or any num-
ber of us may deem it 1 I mean a confession of faith,
containing, in detail, all the items of religious faith and
opinion, which ^Ye might consider authorized by the scrip-
ture. And again I would answer, no ; and for this reason,
viz. : because allowance must certainly be made for a dif-
ference of views and opinions, to a certain extent — namely,
11 regard to such matters as may be deemed to be com-
aratively of minor importance, and such as are confess-

CHURCH UNION. 373

edly of doubtful construction. If on certain points I may
feel well persuaded that I am right, and have scripture
authority on my side, yet if these points do not involve such
positive appointment of Christ, or some truth clearly re-
vealed, and essential to the existence of our holy religion,
ought I not to bear with those who may differ from me 1
still recognizing them as members of the same visible
body, while there is no infraction of any of the great prin-
ciples of vital and practical godliness ? If in the terms of
fellowship, some such allowance be not made, the conse.
quence will be, that we must either reject the great body
of our brethren, who are in the habit of thinking freely,
and differing on some points, or our terms must be disre-
garded, and prove a mere dead letter.

Fourthly, the question then recurs : The scriptures be-
ing acknowledged as the platform on which we are to
stand, what are we to consider as the terms on which we
are united as one people 1 We have been viewing the
negative side of the solution ; now for the positive.

For a long time past, we have been going on without
much intermission as to church-standing ; held together as
one people, not only by our distinguishing sentiments and
practice, in regard to baptism, but by our general accord-
ance in the great principles of the religion which we pro-
fess, needing, no doubt, improvement in several things,
and particularly, advancement in faith, and love, and zeal ;
in a word, in personal holiness. To the scriptures we
have all along gloried in making our appeal, maintaining
that they are the standard by which we are willing to be
tried, and that all the truths, ordinances, and precepts, ne-
cessary to life and godliness, are to be sought for in them.
At the same time, we have all along considered it requisite.

374 CHURCH UNION.

as a professing people, to have correct views, in the main,
of the great principles of evangelical truth. In this respect,
however, we have probably been rather too vague. And
now, my dear sir, when the occasion calls on us to show
what these views are, do we not feel ourselves at a loss ?
I might say for myself, and I think also for the great body
of our people, what these views generally are ; but how
shall we show them ? To say they are contained in the
scriptures, is only saying what many who differ from us
may say. Indeed, this is not saying what are our views
of these great principles.

Now, I do believe, if all Christian sects would consci-
entiously, candidly, prayerfully, and devoid of prejudice,
take the scriptures for their guide ; though they might
differ in some details, they would not be left greatly to
err, and might soon come together. And this we may
hope will be the case, when the light shall be made to
shine more clearly. But while it is not so, must we not
guard against the admission into our communion, of radi-
cal error, under the general plea of taking scripture as the
only standard ? And if so, can this be w^ell done, and can
we exhibit our views of the great principles of gospel
truth, without some condensed written statement 1 This,
my good sir, is the question. And then there is another.
Can we not agree on these general principles presenting a
view of salvation by grace, w^ithout going into a detailed
confession of faith ; leaving other matters to be inculcated
as our views of them may appear to render expedient.
To me it seems that there is an unction from above — a
spiritual judgment, which, if attended to, will suggest to
humble, simple-hearted readers of the Bible, what these
great principles are.

CHURCH UNION. 375

This is enough for the present. I pause to hear from
you ; but before I close, take occasion to request the at-
tention to this subject of H. K. and J. B. T., of Rich-
mond, " Onoma," and J. B. J. Some, or all of them, I
hope, will express their minds, if it should be only in a
brief manner.

Yours in the truth,

A. Broaddus.

(CljriBtiiiii Eiiinti,

No. II.*

Newtown, King and Queen^ March^ 1846.
Dear Brother Ellison : — Although you and I have
only a common interest in this important subject, which
equally concerns all Christians, I continue to address you,
as responding to the call which you have given me, to
" offer some suggestions" in regard to this desirable object.
It is earnestly to be wished that a deej^er interest might be
awakened in the hearts of Christians generally, in the cause of
Christian Union, that desideratum so necessary to the con-
version of the world, and its subjection to the standard of the
Cross : and I would here recommend to the readers of the
Herald, a re-perusal of the pertinent and forcible remai-ks
on that subject in your communication. It is through the
instrumentality of " the Truth" that the world must be
conquered to the " obedience of faith ;" and that wonder-
ful instrument, tlie Truth of God^ so powerful under the

* I very much regret my inability to furnish the first number of
this series of articles. That number, however, must have beeii
chiefly introductory, and therefore less essential, than the rest, to a
proper discussion of the question under consideration. — Ed.

CHRISTIAN UNION. 377

influence of the Holy Spirit, must be wielded by the host
of Christians : and then, in order to bring the moral force of
this divine instrument fully to bear on the world, it is easy
to see how necessary it is that there should be an harmo-
nious concert and co-operation ; and that " the sacramental
host of God's elect" should present an undivided front, in
regard, at least, to the great, vital and clearly revealed
truths of our common Christianity. It is thus that a
powerful conviction would be induced, that there is a prin-
ciple in our holy religion — the love of Christ — a principle
strong enough to break down the barriers of prejudice and
party-spirit, to bind the sacrifice to the altar, and to unite
in one great mass the common family of the Eedeemer,
how divided and scattered soever they may have been.
And in as far as such an object may be attained, in so far
will that intercessory prayer of our blessed Lord be
answered : — " That they all may be one ; as thou, Father,
art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one
in us ; that the world may believe that thou hast sent
me."

But the question recurs, " How shall this desirable ob-
ject be attained '?" Ay, how shall it be attained 1

To me, it appears, that there are two prominent stages
in Christian Union : one I may call evangelical or gospel
union ; the other, church union. Not that the latter is not
evangelical, but that the fonner does not necessarily imply
church union : in other words, that there may be union so
far as regards the great vital truths of our holy religion,
such as appear to be essential elements of that religion?
without a union in the bonds of church-fellowship and
church communion. The latter indeed is the consummation
of the object ; but the former, as far as it goes, appears to
have a just claim to our cordial approbation : to which I

378 CHRISTIAN UNION.

may add, that this stage may prove an introduction to the
ultimate accomplishment of the great object.

I am aware of an objection that maybe offered to the
view which I here take, that " the scripture knows nothing
of any such distinction : that Christians must be united in
church-fellowship, or else there is no Christian union." It
is true indeed that Christians in apostolic times were all
united in chui'ch-fellowship ; and so it ought to be now.
But what then? Why, this is the very object we are
aiming at : we are aiming to restore that state of union
divine ; and if, through the introduction of human traditions
and party-spirit, division and strife have unhappily taken
place, does it follow, that no conciliatory measures shall be
adopted, unless the desired object can be at once accom-
plished'? Surely not. I here take it for granted, that
there are numbers of real Christians amongst the different
evangelical denominations — numbers who give evidence of
their attachment to Christ and his cause, by their " works
of faith and labors of love ;" who may feel the force of that
appeal which the cause of Christian union makes to their
hearts, while yet they are unprepared to yield their dis-
tinctive views, and make that sacrifice which would be
requisite to constitutional church-fellowship ; and upon the
whole, I must think we are justly entitled to the position
above taken, that there is, from the nature of the case,
such a stage in Christian union, as that which I have de-
nominated evangelical union.

Now this stage of Christian union appears, from the
present state of things, to be that to w^hich the attention of
the great Christian community should be first directed.
Into this enclosure, as into the court of the temple of con-
cord, let us see if we cannot enter. Two questions here
present themselves for solution; they respect these two

CHRISTIAN UNION. 379

points, namely : the basis or platform on which such a
union must rest, and the extent to which, under existing
circumstances, it may consistently be carried. And now,
my dear sir, finding that the limits which I had in contem-
plation must be somewhat extended, and willing rather to
add another number than to protract this to a tedious
length, I shall here close the present communication, and
subscribe myself,

Yours in the gospel of peace and love,

A. Broaddus.

No. III.

Newtown, King and Queen April, 1846.

Dear Brother Ellison : — You have probably seen
some account of a late remarkable movement in England,
on the subject of Christian union ; and how a meeting has
taken place at Liverpool, preliminary to a general conven-
tion, proposed to be held in the city of London, in the
month of August, proximo. The meeting, it seems, was
attended by ministers of various denominations — Indepen-
dents, Methodists, Baptists, and by some clergymen of the
Establishment, and was characterized by much fraternal
feeling, and by harmonious concert of disposition in regard
to the great object : that object being, the cultivation of a
conciliatory spirit amongst all the Protestant Christian
denominations generally recognized as evangelical ; and,
as far as practicable, a co-operation in aim and action
against the common enemy. I have mislaid the paper in
which the notice appeared, and can only state the substance
from recollection.

An effort of this nature, and met, as it has been, by the
stirring of a kindred spirit in several instances in our own

380 CHRISTIAN UNION.

country, seems to be a favorable omen, throwing a ray of
hope on the object of our contemplation : and it is with
much interest that I look forward to the result of the great
convention, summoned from all parts of Protestant Chris-
tendom, to meet, as above-mentioned, in the city of Lon-
don. May the great Ruler of the world forbid that our
war-spirits should succeed in their endeavors to conjure up
the blood-tinged cloud, so fraught with evil, which would
cover the prospect with the gloom of disappointment I

In the meantime, the two points of inquiry, stated in
the closing paragraph of my last communication, present
themselves to our attention, viz. : " the basis or platform
on which this evangelical union must rest, and the extent
to which, under existing circumstances, it may consistently
be carried."

With respect to the first point, it will be said, the foun-
dation of all Christian union must be the Bible. True :
and a union on any other foundation is no better than a
building erected on the sand. Let it be observed, how-
ever, that while the Bible is the great substratum of Chris-
tian union, the immediate basis or platform must be, a
union of sentiment or understanding with respect to the
meaning of the Bible, so far, at least, as agreement in
sentiment is deemed necessary to the object in view. At
the same time, however, be it observed, that the Bible
itself inculcates forbearance, in regard to difference of
opinion on some points ; and though it does not counte-
nance error, in any shape or degree, it does obviously
assign a state of grace and salvation to a certain descrip-
tion of characters, who are pursuing, in some degree, an
erroneous course : to those, namely^ who build upon the
good foundation, (Christ,) even though it may be with
" wood, hay, and stubble." 1 Cor. iii. 12 — 15.

CHRISTIAN UNION. 381

Now, in order to church union, there must be church-
membership ; and church membership cannot properly
take place but according to the constitution of the gospel
church, as exhibited in the New Testament ; from which
we learn, that a profession of faith in Christ, according to
His true character, and baptism into that profession, are re-
quired in order to membership ; in other words, that pro-
fessed believers, baptized as such, constitute the body of
the visible gospel church. Acts ii. 41, 42. Eph. iv. 4,
5, 6. And, by the way, I will here take occasion to ob-
serve, that if the different evangelical denominations could
happily arrive at this point — could thus agree in regard to
the constitution of a gospel church, all might be con-
sidered, even in a visible capacity, as " one body," in gene-
ral church-fellowship with each other, no little differences
as to forms of church government rendering it necessary
that there should be a schism in the body. Any needed
reformation with regard to these points might be expected
to follow, as the openings of divine truth should gain on
the minds of those who had so far manifested a determina-
tion to make the Bible their standard.

This, however, is anticipating what we can hardly expect
as yet to realize. Our present object is a union, such as
may now be practicable ; an evangelical union of aim and
effort, in the common cause, and against the common
enemy. There must be a beginning ; and the bonds of a
common Christian fellowship being drawn closer, might
have the happy effect to prepare for a still closer union.
The question then recurs : " What is the immediate plat-
form of such a union V This, I have said, must be a con-
currence of views with respect to the meaning of the Bible ;
that is, to a certain extent. For if, on the one hand, no
such concurrence be requisite, the Bible might as well say

382 CHRISTIAN UNION.

one thing as another : and if, on the other hand, a univer-
sal conformity be exacted, there will be no room for that
liberty in regard to diflerences of opinion which the scrip-
ture obviously allows. Let us see if we can strike the
proper course ; if we can steer between Scylla and Cha-
rybdis, the rock and the whirlpool.

Well, then, there must be certain great principles, — vital
truths, a concurrence in which is necessary to evangelical
co-operation : vital truths, I say, which belong to the
essence of the Christian system. Are we not justified in
assigning to some divine truths a relative importance be-
yond that of others 1 Those w^ho deny this, seem to forget
that our Lord has authorized it, by graduating the scale of
legal duties, and marking some as the weightier matters
of the law," namely, "judgment, mercy, and faith,"
(fidelity.) Matt, xxiii. 23.

Our position then is this : That there are some truths
presented to us in the gospel, of more vital importance
than others ; as there are, in the human system, certain
parts more essential to life than some other parts ; though
all, in both cases, are necessary to the completeness and
well-being of the system. And we say, that a concurrence
in these fundamental truths will constitute a qualification
for evangelical union and co-operation ; while, in order to
church-union, a further and fuller agreement would be
necessary.

But how, it may be asked, shall we discriminate 1 how
ascertain those great principles or truths, which constitute
the stamina of evangelical religion 1

Here I shall pause. Very well, it may be said, to pause
at such a question ! and reserve w^hat I have further to say
for another number. In the meantime, however, let me
ask, will not brethren be found taking such an interest in

CHRISTIAN UNION. 383

this subject, as to get up a conference meeting, at the ap-
proaching June anniversaries, with a view to appoint a
delegation of some two or three of our ministers, to attend
the great Convention to meet in London in the month of
August ? Earnestly do I hope this may be the case, and
that some of our brethren may be found, willing and ready
to go on this errand of heavenly love and concord ! Surely,
the contributions necessary for defraying the expense of
such a mission could not be withheld !

I remain, dear brother, yours in the bonds of truth and
love,

A. Broaddus.

No. IV.

Newtown, King and Queen^ April^ 1846.
Brother M. Ellison, — Mij Bear Sir : — We have
arrived at the conclusion, that a concurrence in certain
great principles, such as have been briefly characterized,
must form the basis of an evangelical union. A few words
more in regard to this matter.

There are some things presented to our notice in the
Bible, the precise and definite meaning of which, candor
must acknowledge it is not easy to ascertain. They will
be found, however, to be such as do not radically affect the
essential principles of evangelical truth. And here there
is room for difference of opinion and Christian forbearance.
There arc other things, which, how clear soever they may
appear to some of us, are viewed in a different light by
many, who gave evident proof that they are lovers of
Christ, and, in the general tenor of their lives, the servants
of the living God. The prejudice of education, or the in-
fluence of circumstances, may have affected the mind, and

384 CHRISTIAN UNION.

given a wrong bias to the understanding. And in such
cases, while difference of views and of practice may stand
in the way of a consistent church-relsition, there may still
be room for a union on the basis of those great principles
of evangelical truth to which I have alluded.

And the question is before us : " How shall we dis-
criminate ? how ascertain those great principles or truths
which constitute the stamina of evangelical religion "?

Now, if I should fail to give a satisfactory solution of
this problem, I may hope at least to contribute in some
measure towards it. Let me ask, then, how do we ascer-
tain those parts of the human system where vitality more
eminently resides 1 Why, whatever we may owe to ob-
servation, we seem, if endued with common sense, to
possess an instinctive knowledge in regard to this matter :
and, accordingly, with peculiar care and caution, we guard
those vital parts. Is there not herein a striking analogy
to the case in question % With the word of God before
us, and the testimony of our own hearts concurring, we
possess, I may say, a spiritual instinct — '' an unction from
the Holy One," which teaches us, if we attend to its dic-
tates, the great, vital principles of evangelical religion.
Possibly, indeed, this spiritual perception may, in some
cases, be partially vitiated ; but with the cultivation of a
candid spirit, and an earnest attention to the word of truth
and the teaching of the sacred unction, there will be found,
no doubt, a general unanimity : I do not mean, among
those who may choose to wear the Christian name, but
among those whom we esteem as evangelical Christians.
As in the human system, so .in the system of divine truth,
they will generally be capable of the requisite discernment.
Put a ball through the brain, pierce the heart, stop the
breath, or draw the mass of blood from the body, and who,

CHRISTIAN UNION. 385

with his sens^ rightly exercised, sees not that the principle
of vitality is destroyed, and that death ensues 1 Now,
Christ is the life of the spiritual system, and on hi^ person^
his character^ his offices, and his luork^ depends the principle
of spiritual vitality. Deny his Divinity ! reject the atoning
efficacy of his blood — the doctrine of free justification in
virtue of his righteousness and death — or the sanctifying
influence of his Spirit, and you would destroy the principle
of that " life which is hid with Christ in God !"

May I now be permitted to suggest to the consideration
of Christians, the following points of agreement, as form-
ing a proper basis for evangelical union and co-opera-
tion :

1. We concur in the belief, that the Bible contains a
revelation of the mind and will of God, with respect to
mankind ; and that it is the only authoritative standard of
faith and practice.

2. That according to this revelation, there is one only
true and living God, the Creator and Governor of all
worlds, possessed of all perfection, natural and moral,
who is to be supremely loved, adored, and worshiped.

3. That this God, whose name is Jehovah, subsists,
Three in One, — the Father, the Word or Son, and the
Holy Spirit.

4. That Man, being originally created innocent, and in
the image of God, has fallen from that state into a state of
moral depravity ; that all men are sinners, guilty and con-
demned ; and that there is no recovery but in the way
which God has appointed.

5. That Jesus Christ, — "the Word made flesh," — the
Son of God," is truly and properly God and Man, — God's
Messiah, and the only Redeemer of sinners.

6. That we are justified before God by faith in Jesus

386 CHRISTIAN UNION.

Christ as the Redeemer ; and only on accouim)f his atoning
blood and meritorious righteousness.

7. That God's method of bringing sinners to repentance
and the saving knowledge of Christ, is by the influence of
the Holy Spirit, through the instrumentality of the word
of truth ; and that the sanctiflcation of believers is carried
on in the same way.

8. That good works are the fruits of genuine faith ; —
and that practical obedience, as far as we can ascertain the
will of God, is necessary to the completion of the Christian
character.

9. That there will be a general resurrection and a gene-
ral judgment ; and that there is a future state of eternal
blessedness for the righteous, and a state of perdition for
the ungodly.

10. That Jesus Christ is the Judge of the world, who
will assign to all the race of Adam their future and final
destination.

With respect to some of these points, it is very possible
there might be a difference of " opinion" as to mere modes
or circumstances, without any real difference of faith, as to
the truth or the fact. It is possible too, and even pro-
bable, that some of these points might be presented in
more eligible terms, in language more satisfactory. 1
only suggest the substance of things, without presummg
to dictate, or to furnish a faultless model.

The second question relative to such a union, namely,
" To what extent can it consistently be carried V may be
answered, it would seem, in a few words. While in our
aim we may be all fully united, — all having the same great
object in view, — we can consistently be united in aciio7i, in
operation, to an extent commensurate with the avowed
principles forming the basis of this union.

CHRISTIAN UNION. 387

And now, in order that such a union may be exhibited to
the world, let me humbly suggest the following measures, as
suitable to be adopted :

1. Let it be made known, that all who unite on the basis
of these evangelical principles, are to be considered as
cordially co-operating, in their several spheres of action, in
the common cause of the great Master, against the enemies
of truth and righteousness, thus opposing an undivided
front to deadly errors, though wearing the Christian name,
and to the power of sin in all its forms.

2. Let them evince this unity of aim and design, by the
cultivation of Christian courtesy, and by an interchange,
occasionally, of ministerial services.

3. As it is not proposed to compromise scripture truth,
or what, in the estimation of the parties of this union, is
conscientiously viewed as such ; and as the progress and
prevalence of divine truth should ever be kept in view, it
ought to be understood, that no restraint is to be laid on
the free mvestigation of any points of difference amongst
any of the parties to this union, in the course of their
ministrations, in their several spheres of action. But, he it
understood^ that such investigation is ever to be conducted
in a Christian spirit, according to the apostolic injunction,
" speaking the truth in love ;" and that it is not to be
considered as the carrying on of a quarrel, but as the
means of arriving at the truth. The discussion of points
of difference in such a spirit as we here recommend, must
be calculated to advance the progress of religious know-
ledge, and prepare the way for more harmony of views
and a closer bond of union.

These points being carried, something^ I am persuaded,
would be gained — some advance made towards the attain-
ment of the desirable object in view ; and this, perhaps, is

388

CHRISTIAN UNION.

as much as can be expected, in the incipient stage of such an
undertaking,

In closing this little series of numbers on " Christian
Union," I take with me the reflection, that if, on the one
hand, I have presented no plan of a very imposing character,
neither have I, on the other hand, expressed any sentiments
or offered any suggestion, which seemed as if it might in-
cur the censure of any Christian.

And now, committing the subject to the consideration
of all the lovers and followers of Christ, I remain, dear
brother,

Yours, in the bonds of Christian afi'ection,

A. Broaddus.

%mm nf e ^umm m Sii&nt ISapta.

On the fifth Lord's-day in last month, (October,) I was

present at the delivery of a discourse by Mr. Mc G — , at

St. Paul's Church, Essex, on the subject of baptism, de-
signed to show the claims of infants to that ordinance.

Mr. Mc G is an Episcopal clergyman, standing de-
servedly high in the estimation of his friends and acquaint-
ances, on account of his talents and personal character.
This consideration, together with the confident manner of
the preacher, tended, no doubt, to give weight to the argu-
ments brought forth on that occasion. The hearers, in
such cases, find some difficulty in divesting the subject-
matter of the drapery of adventitious circumstances ; and
more especially when their prejudices operate in favor of
the cause which the preacher advocates. There were no
new arguments presented in this case: it was not to be
expected. Those who have read almost any of the writers
on Pedobaptism, including Peter Edwards' curious logic
on that side, will be in full possession of all the arguments
produced in the discourse here referred to ; and those who
have read Mr. Campbell's masterly refutation of McCalla,
and Carson's unanswerable book on baptism, to say nothing
of many others that might be named, have had the oppor-

390 REVIEW OF A SERMON

tunity of witnessing the death and burial of all these argu-
ments. As in this case, however, they have been raised
up and re-animated, and presented, no doubt, in as plau-
sible a manner as they could have been by any other advo-
cate of the cause, I have thought it might be well, having
taken short notes of the discourse, to review, in a brief
manner, the principal points relied on for the support of
the cause. Labored argument is here out of the question.

It is with pleasure that I here accord to the preacher
the credit due to him for the manner in which he conducted
the discussion, as touching the views of his opponents.
There was nothing of that vituperation and ridicule, so
often found amongst boisterous declaimers ; and, but for
one thing, in the concluding part of the discourse, no com-
plaint could lie against the treatment we received, what-
ever we may think of the arguments. I allude to an appeal
which was made to the audience, in which the opposers of
infant baptism seemed to be implicated in something like
a charge of cruelty, for driving these little innocents from
the bosom of the Churchy into the cold howling wilderness of
the world! No such charge, however, may have been
designed ; and the preacher supposing, no doubt, he had
brought sufficient evidence to convince the judgment^ con-
sidered himself at liberty to appeal to the feelings.
Whether any weight is really due to this appeal, may per-
haps be seen hereafter.

What is termed " the mode of baptism," was not intro-
duced. In this, I commend the prudence of the preacher :
the array of talents and learning which might be brought
forth from his own side, to testify against sprinMi^ig as the
primitive mode, it would be rather fearful to encounter.

With one more preliminary remark, I shall enter on the
proposed review ; it is this : I pretend not to quote verba-

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 891

Um; but in every instance will give the meaning, as I
understood it ; if, in any case I misrepresent, it will not
be willingly.

The text was Matt, xxviii. 19 : " Go ye therefore and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." A strange text,
you will say, for the foundation of a plea for Infant Bap-
tism ! It was so : and I could not help reflecting, if St.
Paul, to whose memory this church is dedicated, were
present, to deliver his view of the matter, how different
would it be from that of the respectable gentleman who
now fills St. Paul's pulpit ! Yet, I may remark, it is a
very appropriate text for a baptismal sermon ; yea, for the
proclamation of the lohole gospel ; and the preacher very
justly remarked, that it was the apostolic commission, the
ground of authority by which the apostles acted. But
what, you may ask, could he do with such a text in such a case ?
I answer, he did but little with it, in the whole course of
the discussion. What use he made of it in aid of his
cause, or rather, in attempting to obviate the apparently
hostile bearing of the text, we shall see in due time.

The object of the inquiry, it was observed, is this : —
" Who are entitled to Baptism V And here it w^as re-
marked, that there is no controversy as to believers'' bap-
tism : It is infant baptism that is the object of contro-
versy. This is an easy way of getting clear of a formidable
impediment ! No controversy as to believers' baptism 1
Nay, my good sir, but this is by no means an adequate
statement of the case. If it be admitted that every believer
ought to be baptized, there will then indeed be no contro-
versy ; but Pedobaptism says, that no believer ought to
be baptized, who has been officially sprinkled in infancy !
Pedobaptism, therefore, as far as it prevails, annihilates

392 REVIEW OF A SERMON

believers' baptism; yea, and if it prevailed as some
of its advocates desire, believers' baptism would disap-
pear from Christendom ! And thus an institution so ob-
viously enjoined, and so frequently exemplified in the New
Testament, would be utterly supplanted by a practice for
which one can find neither precept nor example in any part
of the sacred record. Is there no danger here of making
void the commandment of God by human tradition ? " No
controversy as to believers' baptism V There is none in-
deed, as to its occupying a conspicuous place in the New
Testament ; but when we insist that baptism is obviously
a personal, not 2i parental diVitj, and accordingly, that every
believer owes it to his Master and to himself to be bap-
tized, we are met with the plea, that we ought to accept
of the sprinkling of the zn/ayi if, instead of the baptism of the
believer.

For more than a thousand years, we were told, infant
baptism was not called in question. Will not Mr. M.,
upon reconsideration, acknowledge that Tertullian called
it in question in the third century ? that he called in ques-
tion, nay, directly opposed the baptism of any, and of all,
who were incapable of giving some account of their faith 1
The fact seems to be, that infant baptism had then but just
begun to be heard of; no wonder that there should have
been, before that century, no opposition to it. But tradi-
tion and superstition had multiplied apace, and this tradi-
tion (for tradition I am compelled to call it) found a place
among others. And then, for the residue of the time, to
r^&ll up this period of a thousand or twelve hundred years,
where, let me ask, were the An ti-Pedobaptists, going under
different names, of whom Mosheim says, that " the true
origin of that sect is hid in the remote depths of antiquity,
and, of consequence, difficult to be ascertained." And

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 393

Mosheim, be it observed, is far from being partial to the
Baptists. Surely, Mr. McG. must strangely have over-
looked ecclesiastical testimony.

Well ! but we were reminded, as another collateral argu-
ment, that the number now rejecting infant baptism is com-
paratively small — the great mass of Christendom still ad-
hering to the practice. I suppose, that from this over-
whelming majority, Mr. M. would be willing to throw
out that gigantic body, the Romish Church, " the mother
of harlots and abominations of the earth," — that Church
acknowledging that infant baptism rests not on scripture
authority, but on oral tradition : and we, in return, as
something towards a compromise, will freely give up Joe
Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and all the Mormons j^ the city of
Nauvoo ! But with respect to this great majority against
us, let it be remembered how small, comparatively, before
the Reformation, was the number of faithful witnesses who
testified against the abominations of Popery ! Nay, does
not the Romish Church still greatly out-number Pro-
testants— those especially who are worthy of the name ?
And add the Greek Church, but little behind her sister of
Rome in superstition, and what an overwhelming majority
against us all ! And what an argument is here put into
the mouths of our adversaries against Protestantism ! My
friend, you ought to give up this plea. In the meantime,
as an offset against any advantage which might seem to
arise from it, let it be observed, how the immersion of be-
lievers is gaining ground, over the head of all opposition,
among classes, and even in the very bosom of Pedobaptist
churches ! " Truth is great, and will prevail."

So much for the preacher's introductory remarks : now
comes the division of the discourse ; which, in effect, was
as follows :

17*

394 REVIEW OF A SERMON

I. To refute, or answer, some objections to infant'^ bap-
tism.

II. To show the authority on which it rests.
1st. Head : Objections refuted.

1. "That there is no positive command for infant bap-
tism, nor any express example of it, in all the sacred
record." And here the preacher asks, what right have we
to prescribe the method by which God shall authorize, &c. 1
I reply, we do not presume to do this : we only require
proof that God has really authorized infant baptism. And
this proof, we say, must consist in a positive command^ a
plain example, or in clear and conclusive inference. Mark
this ! We do not exclude, we admit of inferential evidence ;
but then, in. the case of a positive institute, such as baptism,
it must be clear and conclusive. No vague conjecture, no cal-
culation of probabilities, will answer the purpose. In a word,
it must amount to proof — proof of the point in question.
And this, we may remark, is more especially necessary in
the case of infant baptism, because that goes to supplant
believers'' baptism, so clearly and explicitly enjoined in the
New Testament. On this position then we stand, and
here we place the issue : Infant baptism must be proved by
positive command, by jylaiii example, or by clear and conclu-
sive inference.

Well, the preacher thinks that he can meet the objection
above stated, and can prove infant baptism — positively
prove it from the text. Now, when you look at the text,
you may well think it strange that any one should undeitake
such a task : — " Go, teach all nations, baptizing them," &c.
The writers on that side have generally, I believe, had but
little hope of proving their point from the commission.
But how was this to be done *? Why thus : In the text
there is a positive command to " teach all nations, bap-

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 395

tizing them," &;c. Now, if infants are not named, neither
are adults : they stand, therefore, on the same ground, and
so both are included. Strange, indeed ! The commission
says : " Teach ail nations, baptizing them ;" that is, the
taught. Was it necessary to name adults? Certainly not.
Are new-born infants capable of being taught the truths of
the gospel ? By no means. Are they then included in
that commission 1 They are not. But the verb, it is said,
(matheteuo,) signifies, to make disciples. Very well !
And can infants really, by any process, be manufactured
into disciples '? Never ! while a disciple is one who actu-
ally receives the instructions and imbibes the sentiments
of his Master ; never., while a disciple is one who, accord-
ing to our Lord's account, bears his cross and comes after
him. And why introduce any remarks about adults ? It
is not adult baptism that we contend for, though sometimes
so called, but believer's'' baptism. " He that believeth, and
is baptized, shall be saved." There are thousands of adult
persons around us who are not fit subjects of baptism ;
and thousands not of adult age, who have become proper
subjects of that ordinance. No, my dear sir, were you to
labor " till the trumpet sounds to judgment," you would
labor in vain to bring infant baptism out of the commis-
sion ! It is not there. And be it observed, that a com-
mission which includes only one class of p)ersons does virtVn
ally exclude all others.

As to the objection, that there is no example of infant
baptism in the New Testament^ the preacher answers, that
we there read of the baptism of believers and their house-
holds : and argues, that we should not expect to hear it
said, " their households and infants" — seeing that house-
hold naturally includes infants. " Household," I would
remark, may well include inflmts, where they really make

396 REVIEW OF A SERMON

a part of the family ; but suppose there should be no in-
fants belonging to a family, the term " household," we are
sure, would not, in that case, include infants. Now, families,
or households, are frequently found without infants ; some,
consisting of the master and mistress, with the servants ;
and others, having children, but all gro^^Ti up. Can it then
be proved that the three households mentioned as the sub-
jects of baptism, or either of them, consisted in part of in-
fants 1 No, it cannot. Be it remembered, that we are
seeking for proof; and that the burden of the proof lies
on him who brings forward these cases as examples of in-
fant baptism. They will come under our notice again ; —
Aere the preacher introduced them merely as an answer to
an objection ; hereafter we shall find them in his train of
evidences in support of the practice for which he is an ad-
vocate. In the meantime, be it observed, that the objec-
tion which the preacher proposed to answer, remains
" in full force and virtue ;" no command, no example, has
been produced, in support of the practice of infant baptism.
But here comes a plea which it was thought must relieve
the matter: — "Female communion." This, it was said,
rests on the same sort of inferential evidence with infant
baptism. To which, at the outset, I reply, that if there be
no better evidence in favor of female communion than
what we can find in favor of infant baptism, it must share
the same fate, and be given up. But let us take a glance
at this matter.

Female communion, it seems, as well as infant baptism,
is to be proved by inference : the argument, therefore, in
one case, must be as strong as in the other. By no means :
for in one case the inference may be clear and conclusive ;
in the other, vague and conjectural. With respect to the
inferential argument for infant baptism, we have seen, as

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 397

far as the subject has progressed, that it amounts to noth-
mg like 'proof- — nothing lil^e evidence by which a ques-
tion at issue can be decided. And we think, too, that in
the subsequent investigation, it will be found an utter
failure. The case of female communion is very different.
As far as inference is concerned with this case, it leads, in
the estimation of every candid mind, to a clear and un-
questionable conclusion. The Supper w^as indeed institu-
ted amongst males only, and only amongst the apostles ;
but certainly with a view to its becoming a social ordinance
in the Church, as afterwards appears. Then, there is not
to be found, in the nature of the ordinance, or the exercise of
mind requisite to the occasion, anything peculiar to either
sex : — " This is my body broken for you ; this is my blood,
shed for many ; this do in remembrance of me." There
is no more color of reason for restricting this ordinance to
males ^ than there is for restricting to them the declaration
of our Lord to Nicodemus : — " Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." But that wo-
men did partake of the Lord's Supper, in the apostolic
churches, there is full and conclusive evidence : — " And
upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came to-
gether to break bread," &c. : Acts, xx. 7. Are not ivomen
disciples as well as men? Well, here they, the disciples,
came together without exception, to eat the Lord's Supper.
Again : Paul delivered this ordinance to .^the Church at
Corinth, without exception : 1 Cor. xi. 23 ; and, that
females were members of the Church, obviously appears
from the same chapter. But why multiply words in proof
of this point? w^ere there no evidence than that women
were baptized, this would sufficiently establish their claim
to the Lord's Supper, if no restriction were given or im-
plied in any part of scripture. In the account of this ordi-

398 REVIEW OF A SERMON

nance, or in its institution, " had any directions been add-
ed that confined it to males, as the commission confines
baptism to believers, then no inference could establish the
right of females." The cases are entirely dissimilar. Let
the evidence there be compared with that sort of inference
which is relied on for the support of infant baptism, and
mark the difference ! In the one case we shall see satis-
factory proof; in the other, mere vague presur)iption. In
the case of female communion, too, we find nothing that is
not in perfect harmony with the nature of the institution,
and the qualifications and exercises required in the partici-
pants ; — in the case of infant baptism, you are met at every
turn with a requirement or an example, that virtually for-
bids the ceremony, and calls aloud for believers, as the
subjects. This brings me to the next objection which the
preacher encounters : which is —

2. " That repentance and faith are represented in the
New Testament, as pre-requisites to the ordinance of bap-
tism." And how is this position, so apparently strong, to
be assailed ? With what argument is its force to be anni-
hilated 1 You shall hear. This, says the preacher, respects
adults, not infants. Faith and repentance are required of
adults f in order to baptism : they are not required of in-
fants in any case. When Peter Edwards, many years ago,
came forth, brandishing this weapon, in logical style, it
looked, at the first glance, somewhat formidable, but
proved on trial a mere shadow. No, my dear sir, no ; it
is not of adults, considered as adults, that faith and repent-
ance are required in order to baptism ; it is of the subjects
of that ordinance, or the candidates for it, that these exei*-
cises are required. And this, of course, precludes from
the ordinance those who, in the nature of the case, are in-
capable of these exercises, as having no concern with it.

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 390

The subjects of baptism are required to be of this descrip-
tion— 'penitent believers. This is the plain, common-sense
construction of the matter ; and the objection assailed by
this ingenious argument, remains in all its force. Edwards,
as well as my memory serves me, for I have lost his book,
caused this same troublesome objection to pass the ordeal
of several logical syllogisms, very ingeniously analyzing
each of them, and brought the matter to this issue : The
scriptures require faith and repentance of adults in order to
baptism. But they are not required oi infants in order to
anything. Therefore, this requisition furnishes no argu-
ment against infant baptism. Very well modeled to suit
himself! But let us state the matter fairly : The scrip-
tures require faith and repentance in the subjects of bap-
tism : But infants are incapable of these exercises : There-
fore, infants are not to be considered proper subjects of
baptism.

But here comes a quotation to aid, it seems, in demolish-
ing the above objection to infant baptism. The Apostle Paul
commanded the Thessalonians, " that if any would not
work, neither should he eat." Now, the argument is this :
That, if because/a iVA is required in order to baptism, infants
are to be excluded from the ordinance ; then, by analogy,
it will follow, that because ivork is required to give one a
claim to eat, infants must be debarred from any title to
the sustenance of life ! And the above objection, or argu-
ment against infant baptism, is reduced to an absurdity !
Another of P. Edwards' logical deductions, and ought to
have been left with him, as suited to his genius ; for really
it is unworthy of Mr. M. It needs but a brief notice ;
only view it in a true light, and it " vanishes into thin air."
^^ Faith is required of those who are baptized ; therefore,
infants, who are incapable of faith, must not be baptized."

400 REVIEW OF A SERMON

This is our plea, brought in by way of objection. Now,
here is the argument for neutralizing this objection :
" Work is required of those who eat ; therefore, infants,
who cannot work, must not eat.'''' So stands the analogy.
Are the cases similar *? By no means. Infants must eat,
in order to live ; so indeed must adults : but these forfeit
their claim by idleness ; they will not work, therefore they
shall not eat. But infants, who cannot work, do not forfeit
their claim by inability. They must live ; and they must eat
in order to live. This is understood and taken for granted.
Now, here is the discrepancy in the cases, and here lies the
fallacy in the argument. It is not understood, it is not to
be taken for granted, that infants must be baptized ; this
would be begging the question with a witness ! taking for
granted the main question at issue. And so this objection
to infant baptism still stands forth in all its strength. If
indeed it could be proved, that baptism to an unconscious
babe is necessary to its eternal felicity, as corporeal nour-
ishment is necessary to its natural life, then would we be
willing to admit the claim without the aid of such an argu-
ment as the above. But this, it is earnestly hoped, will
hardly be maintained, whatever awful squintings towards
the sentiment may appear in some parts of the Episcopal
Formulary."^ Earnestly, indeed, do we hope, that in this
day of increasing light, the horrible dogma of old Augus-
tine, dignified with the title of Saint, will never regain its
ascendency : the dogma, I mean, which consigned to dam-
nation all unbaptized infants !

Infant communion prevailed for a long time in the early
ages : and very consistently went along with infant bap-

" Excellent sentiments, clothed in beautiful language, are to be
found in " The Book of Common Prayer," &c. ; but some things,
brought from Rome, of an awfully exceptionable character.

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 401

tism : indeed, it has found some advocates of no mean
talents in modem times. Now, the very argument we
have just been reviewing — the argument designed to meet
our objection, by referring the pre-requisites to baptism to
the case of adults — the argument which we have found to
pass by us hai^mless^ can be used availably, by an advocate
for infant communion, against his Pedobaptist brother.
Let us take the initials of each, and try the matter in a
little dialogue. The infant communionist shall be I. C,
the Pedobaptist, P. B.

/. C. I maintain that the baptized infant ought to be brought
to the Lord's table, and fed with the mystic symbols. P. B.
No, by no means. / C. 1 insist on it : the infant has been
baptized — it has a right to the privileges of the Church ; and
there is no valid argument against its partaking of the holy
supper. P. B. Yes, there is an argument — a conclusive one,
against it. Our Lord says, " This do, in remembrance of me."
Of this the infant is incapable ; neither can it discern the
Lord's body, and therefore cannot properly be a partaker.
I. C. O ! that objection is easily answered. I will just
make use of the neutralizing argument which ive bring to
bear against our opponents, on the subject of baptism. It
is of adults that all this is required ; — adults are required
to do this in remembrance of Christ ; — adults are required
to discern the Lord's body : these exercises are not required
of infants in any case : and therefore these requisites can-
not affect their claim. P. B. But, to an unconscious babe
there can be no virtue in the sacred elements. /. 0.
Surely there can be, to the unconscious babe, as much vir-
tue in the bread and wine which we administer to it, as in
the water which is sprinkled upon it. And thus, for the
present, ends the dialogue. Now, in the plea of the infant
communionist we have the argument ad hominem ; and

402 REVIEW OF A SERMON

the force of it, I humbly conceive, a Pedobaptist cannot
evade. The fact is, that to be consistent, the advocate for
infant baptism must be an advocate for infant communion ;
there is as much ground for the one as for the other :
albeit I could not agree that there is scriptural ground for
either.

After all, how can Mr. McG. resort to this or any other
argument, for the purpose of showing that repentance^and
faith are not required of a certain class of subjects in order
to baptism ? In so doing, he is directly at issue with his
own Formulary ! In the ofRce for baptism it is plainly
implied — and in the catechism it is explicitly stated, that
repentance and faith are required of persons to he baptized.
It is not pretended that there is anj^ exception : and then
the difficulty in the way of infant baptism, is relieved by
the provision of sponsors, a very unscriptural provision in-
deed I — one for which there is no shadow of authority,
but one which is consistent enough with the practice it is
brought to sustain.

In discussing the merits of this objection to infant bap-
tism, the preacher bestows a passing notice on one of our
prominent evidences in support of the objection, — the com-
mission in Mark xvi. 16: "He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall
be damned." Here he remarks, that if this declaration
of our Lord be considered, in the first clause, as excluding
infants from baptism, (" he that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved,") so may it be considered, in the second
clause, as excluding them from salvation : " he that be-
lieveth not shall be damned." An argument pretty much
in character with that which we have just been reviewing ;
better calculated to perplex a plain mind, than to carry
conviction. A proper view of the matter, however, will

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 403

clear up all difficulty. Now, if there were no way of
saving infants but by the gospel, the conclusion against
their salvation would indeed follow, as above stated.
" But the gospel !" — (I here quote from Carson) — " the
gospel, as a ministration, has nothing to do with infants,
nor have gospel ordinances any respect to them. The
gospel has to do with those who hear it. It is expressly,
with respect to such as hear it, that the gospel is here said
to be salvation by faith and baptism, and condemnation by
unbelief. ' Go ye into all the world, and preach the gos-
pel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned.'
Here the salvation and condemnation respect those to
whom the gospel comes. Infants are saved by the death
of Christ ; but not by the gospel, not by faith." The
nations w^ho have not heard the gospel, cannot be saved
by the gospel ; neither are they condemned for not be-
lieving it: their condemnation rests on other grounds.
So, an infant cannot be saved by the gospel, being utterly
incapable of understanding and acting faith in it ; nor can
the want of faith incur its condemnation, though it is thus
precluded from baptism, which requires faith in its subjects,
and an intelligent submission to the ordinance as a personal
duty. A word more on this point : and this one reflection
ought to suffice, to solve the difficulty throwai in our way :
The ministration of the gospel, with its ordinances, is com-
mitted to our hands, and we must proceed according to
the commission given ; the salvation of unconscious babes,
dying in that state, God has reserved in his oivn hands,
and has not required that we should make provision for
the mode in which it is to be effected. The argument, we
think, is fairly met and answered.

3. Another objection which the preacher meets is sug-

404 REVIEW OF A SERMON

gested in the question : — " What benefit can there be in
infant baptism 1" He retorts, by asking, " What benefit
can there be in prayer for infants V^ In regard to these
questions, I remark, that if prayer for infants be sanctioned
in the New Testament, which certainly is not denied, then
we may be assured that to pray for them is proper, and that
in some way it must be beneficial, though we should be
unable to see how or in what respects it is so. And so of
infant baptism : if that were sanctioned in the New Testa-
ment, I should say, let it be practised, though no good re-
sult be apparent to us. Yet I am fully persuaded that
the New Testament baptism commends itself to us, by its
attendant benefits, as well as by the divine sanction so
obviously exhibited in its favor. Well, but the preacher
thinks that the benefits of infant baptism may be readily
pointed out. [Some things in that part of the discourse, I
did not so well hear nor understand. As far as I could
gather what these benefits were, I will set them down.]

1. " Infants, by baptism, are brought into covenant rela-
tion to God." It is easy to say this ; but where do we get
the information ? Sometimes we are told that the infant
children of the believers are already in this covenant rela-
tion ; and therefore are entitled to baptism as the seal ; —
sometimes they ought to be baptized, to bring them into
the covenant ! But what covenant, let me ask, is this into
which they are brought by baptism? Surely, not the
covenant of circumcision made with Abraham ; for the
terms of that covenant are such (see Gen. chapter xvii.) as
show it clearly to be inapplicable to us Gentiles under the
gospel. It must, we presume, be the new covenant that
is intended — the nature and terms of which, as quoted by
the apostle, may be seen : Heb. viii., et seq. This, then,
is the gospel covenant, the constitution of the gospel king-

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 405

dora. And, though wherever the gospel comes, all are
favored with the privileges of this new covenant, con-
sidered as a dispensation of grace, mto it none ought to
enter but such as appear to possess the qualifications re-
quired of its subjects : see verse 10.

2. " By thus receiving infants into the Church, or into
the covenant, an obligation is imposed on us, or, perhaps,
it was, the obligation is strengthened or increased, to afford
them religious instruction." Indeed I must say, I cannot
see how. From the scriptural admonitions on this subject,
the religious culture of the minds of children is obviously
an imperative duty ; but we find, in those admonitions, no
allusion to the baptism of the children as enhancing the
obligation.

3. Baptism seals to infants certain benefits, [did not well
understand what,] as circumcision sealed certain benefits, &c.
Grcumcision, it was said, is called " a seal of the righteous-
ness of faith." Is this a correct quotation ? It has often been
urged in this shape ; but surely it is not correct, nor does it
convey the sense of the passage alluded to. " And he (Abra-
ham) received the sign of circumcision : a seal of the righte-
ousness of the faith which he had, yet being uncircumcised."
Rom. iv. 11. It was a sign of God's covenant with Abra-
ham and his posterity, as stated : Gen. xvii., and it was a
seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had person-
ally, while yet uncircumcised. It may also be considered
as a seal of the righteousness of that faith which should
be possessed by the spiritual seed of Abraham, whether
Jews or Gentiles : — " that he might be the father (adds
the apostle) of all them that believe, though they be not
circumcised, that righteousness might be imparted to them
also." But surely, circumcision sealed no such thing to
the natural seed of Abraham ; nor does baptism seal any

406 REVIEW OF A SERMON

such thing, nor any thing else, to a believer's natural seed.
It is nowhere termed a seal ; and it must be a gratuitous
assumption so to name it. A little more about the cove-
nant, circumcision, &c. presently, in its place.

Such, in substance, were the answers and arguments, in
refutation of the objections to infant baptism ; — all of
which objections, our respectable opponent thinks, leave
the claims of infants untouched ! The reader must judge
whether the ordeal through which these objections have
passed, has not left them possessed of even an increase of
vigor. It is somewhat remarkable that the preacher, in
stating the benefits resulting from infant baptism, did not
avail himself of that most important one assigned to it by
the Church : — " We yield thee hearty thanks, most merci-
ful Father, that it hath pleased thee to regenerate this in-
fant with thy Holy Spirit, to receive him for thine own
child by adoption, and to incorporate him into thy holy
Church !" Strange, indeed, that the instrumentality of
baptism, without faith or consciousness, should be con-
sidered as producing such an effect ! But the preacher did
not think proper to give this mestimable privilege a place
in the series of benefits.

11. We have now arrived at the second part of the dis-
course ; which was, after answering objections, to show on
what authority infant baptism rests. Much may here be
considered as having been anticipated in the foregoing part
of the discussion, by which our task becomes the lighter.
And indeed, if all the objections to infant baptism were
really obviated, the claim in its favor it might be but light
labor to establish. In the meantime, however, we should
increase the series of objections with some very formidable
ones, not introduced by the preacher. But this by the
way: now to the direct arguments in favor of infant
baptism.

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 407

1. "Infants were anciently received by an express law,
which has never been repealed." The argument, there-
fore, is, that they are still to be received into the Church.
Here we were referred to the covenant made with Abra-
ham ; and the apostle's authority was mentioned : Gal.
iii. 17, to show that the covenant could not be disannulled
by the subsequent introduction of the law. Thus I under-
stood the matter. Now let the reader mark well the point
in hand. What covenant is this, to which the apostle re-
fers 1 Was it the covenant of circumcision, in the 17th
chapter of Genesis ? No ! for he tells us expressly, it was
the covenant confirmed of God in Christ, 430 years before
the giving of the law : (see Gal. iii. 16, 17,) which brings
us back to the 12th chapter of Genesis, and presents us
with the great promise of Christ, in whom " all the fami-
lies of the earth should be blessed." We rejoice that this
covenant, or promise, cannot be disannulled." It is the
fountain of life, and runs through all the covenants and
dispensations in the economy of redeeming mercy : —
through the covenant with Abraham, in the 15th chapter,
and in the 17th, the covenant of circumcision : through the
Sinaic covenant; and into the new covenant under the
gospel where it expands and deepens. But the modes and
circumstances of these covenants depend on the revealed
will of the great Dispenser, and are not left to be infer-
red by arguing from one to the other. The law of circum-
cision, under the new dispensation, has nothing to do with
the Gentiles; with respect to them it is null and void. See
the 15th chapter of Acts, aye, and observe, that no pro-
vision is there made for a substitute, by which the children
of Gentiles should be received into any covenant. They
have the privilege of being reared up under the benign in-
fluence of the new covenant ; and they enter into the bonds

408 REVIEW OF A SERMON

of that covenant, internally and formally, when they
believe and are baptized.

2. " The identity of the Church under the Old Testa-
ment and that under the New, is urged as an argument in
favor of infant baptism." The Abrahamic Church, I sup-
pose we must so call it, expanded afterwards into the
Israelitish Church, under the Sinaic covenant, was identi-
cal with the gospel church under the new covenant : and
so infants must now be received, and form a great part of
the gospel church ! Now this is a strange position ; and
one cannot help wondering how it ever came to be as-
sumed ! What ! Abraham's family, consisting of a numer-
ous train of servants, beside the boy Ishmael, and all
circumcised without respect to faith or moral character, —
every naale, of every description, identical with the gospel
church, " sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints,"
"faithful brethren in Christ!" What! the Israelitish
nation, consisting, for the most part, of a promiscuous
crowd of obstinate, rebellious, and idolatrous sinners,
identical with the church under the new dispensation —
" built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ !"
That sort of holiness, which Israel, as a nation, possessed,
the same with that which the Church of Christ is considered
as possessing ! The Jewish rulers and people, that rejected
Christ and his doctrine, cast out of the Synagogue those
who professed to be his followers, and persecuted unto death
the Lord of glory — this Church, the sam.e with the Church
at Jerusalem, which " continued steadfast in the apostles'
doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in
prayers !" Can it be necessary seriously to set about dis-
proving the position here assumed 1 It can be amply
refuted ; but we cannot here enter farther into the matter

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 409

than to offer some two or three passages of scripture,
plahily testifying against it. The question at issue is this :
Is the kingdom of heaven under the gospel — is the New
Covenant— is the Gospel Church — identical with the king-
dom of God under the old economy, with the Sinaic Cove-
nant, with the Jewish Church '? No ; by no means.

Take, first, an Old Testament prophecy, Dan. ii. 44 : —
" And in the days of these kings," that is, under the Roman
government, " shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,''
namely, the kingdom of the Messiah, or the gospel king-
dom. He ivill set up this kingdom hereafter. Obviously,
then, it w^as not already set up ; it could not then be the
same with the khigdom under the old economy. With
respect to the identity of the old covenant and the new,
take another prophecy, Jer. xxxi. 31, 32, &;c. : — " Behold
the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of
Judah : Not according to the covenant which I made with
their fathers," &c. See the passage ; and see it quoted by
the apostle to the Hebrews, (chapter viii.) with the ex-
press purpose to show that these covenants are ';ioddentical ;
and that the Old was vanishing away, to give place to the
New. And then, for the other aspect under which this
identity is contended for, the sameness of the Jewish and the
Christian .Church, let the declaration of our Lord suffice : —
" Upon this rock I will build my Church." I will build.
Surely, then, it had not already been built long ago. " I will
buildmj church :" not the old Jewish Church. " I will build
my chicrch,''^ not repair or enlarge an old one. What now has
become of the identity contended for 1 Surely, as the apostle
says of the Old Covenant, " it is ready to vanish away."

But, perhaps, we are too sanguine ; let us hear what is
advanced in evidence of this identity. Here is the figure
18

410 REVIEW OF A SERMOlSf

of the olive-tree ; the good olive-tree, (Rom, xi. 17, &c.,)
from which some of the branches (the Jews) were broken
off, because of unbelief, and wild olive-branches (Gen-
tiles) were grafted in their place into the good tree. The
argument is, that the figure exhibits no change in the tree^
and sustains the position that the church remained the
same in passing from one dispensation to the others Now
this argument, it is admiitted, carries, at first glance, some
aspect of plausibility. All its apparent force, however, at
once vanishes, by the concession which was made, (for it
was conceded, and must be,) that there was some change.
Well, there was some change in the church state, in pass-
ing from one dispensation to the other. The apostle says
there was a change. Heb. vii. 12 : " For the priesthood
being changed, there is made of necessity a change also
of the law." Yes, and our Pedobaptist friends must ac-
knowledge, according to their own practice, a change in
the membership ; for under the Abrahamic Covenant, and
under the Mosaic Dispensation, (or the Sinaic Covenant,)
membership was extended to adults of different ages, ser-
vants as well as free-born children, without regard to mo-
ral character. The argument, then, for identity, still fails ;
and the fact seems to be, that the figure here used was de-
signed to show nothing more than the transfer of religious
privileges, from the unbelieving Jews to believing Gen-
tiles. The sameness, as to the essence of religion, under
all dispensations, is readily admitted.

But another quotation demands our notice. Eph. iii. 6 :
" That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same
body," &c. What same body ? The same old Jewish
body 1 By no means. If they both belong to one body^
(both Jews and Gentiles,) are they not of the same body,
though no other had pre-existed 1 Certainly : " Fellow-

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 411

heirs, and of the same body." But why labor this point?
The apostle has haj^pily settled it for us. Read in the
foregoing chap., Eph. ii., ver. 13 to ver. 16, inclusive.
There, speaking of the effect which the cross of Christ has
produced, in regard to Gentiles and Jews, and particularly
of the harmony thus introduced between these once hos-
tile parties, the apostle represents our Lord as having it
in view, ver. 15, " to make in himself of twain one new
man, so making peace." Mark this well ! " To make in
himself, of two, one new man !" The point is proved for us.
Not the old Jewish man, but the new Christian man ; the
term man being used by way of figure for the whole body,
the church. The identity vanishes !"*

'3. The position, that " baptism has come in the room
of circumcision," was assumed as furnishing another argu-
ment in favor of infant baptism. " Infants were circum-
cised, therefore they ought to be baptized :" an argument
often brought forward, and as often, we think, refuted, and
not relied on ; nay, rejected as of no validity, by some
writers of distinction on the Pedobaptist side. This mat-
ter has been, in a great measure, anticipated, under the
two foregoing arguments, rendering it the less necessary
that we should dwell on this point in our review, which
already has been extended to a greater length than was
expected.

" Infants, under the old dispensation, were circumcised ;
therefore, under the new, they ought to be baptized."
Where is the proof; or, how does this follow? Why, it
is thought that Paul has spoken of baptism as " the cir-
cumcision of Christ." Col. ii. 11, 12 : "In whom also
we are circumcised with the circumcision made without

* See Gal. iv,, ver. 21, to the end ; where the two covenants are
contrasted, not identified.

412 REVIEW OF A SERMON

hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by
the circumcision of Christ. Buried with him in baptism,"
&;c. But Paul himself shall explain to us this spiritual
circumcision. Rom. ii. 29 : " Circumcision is that of the
heart, in the spirit and not in the letter." This is the
Christian circumcision, or " the circumcision of Christ ;"
the renewing influence of his grace in the heart, typically
represented by circumcision in the flesh. Now, with this
idea the meaning of the above quotation is in perfect har-
mony. " The circumcision made without hands" has the
effect of " putting ofl" the body of the sins of the flesh ;"
and this "circumcision made mthout hands," he calls "the
circumcision of Christ." Why, then, is baptism imme-
diately afterwards introduced ? I answer, because it pro-
perly follows the circumcision of the heart, and was requi-
site in forming the picture of the Christian's new state
and relation. This " circumcision of Christ" " puts off
the body of the sins of the flesh." But does baptism put
oft' from an infant the body of sins 1 What body of sins ?
Strange construction, indeed ! He that can believe it, let
him ; but let him beware how he believes what is not con-
sistent with God's truth ! Is there here now, I ask, any
proof, anything like proof, that baptism has come in the
room of circumcision ? Let the reader judge.

But now comes the argument from analogy : " There is,
in several respects, an analogy between these two institu-
tions— circumcision and baptism ; and hence an argument
that the latter occupies the place of the former." Both, it is
said, were designed as initiating rites ; both laid the sub-
jects under peculiar obligations ; both had regard to one im-
portant object, the renewal of the heart by the influence of
divine grace, &c. Well, and will a few incidental analo-
gies justify the conclusion that one came in the room of

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 413

the other, when, in so many respects, ^ye find so glaring a
discrej)ancy between them '? Let us notice some of the
cases according to the view which Pedobaptists themselves
take of them :

1. As to sex : Circumcision included only males ; bap-
tism includes males and females.

2. As to age : Circumcision was to be performed on in-
fants on the eighth day ; baptism, it seems, may be ad-
ministered sooner or later.

3. As to the subjects : Circumcision was performed on
males of all ages, (where it had not previously been per-
formed,) without regard to faith or moral character, and
on slaves, as well as free-born children ; baptism, it is
agreed, cannot be administered to slaves on the faith of
the master, nor to adult persons without regard to faith
or moral character.

4. As to the piety or faith of the parent : Circumcision
required no such qualification in the parent, to entitle his
child to this ordinance ; but baptism, it seems, must be
administered only to the child of a believing parent.

5. As to the extent of the claim : Circumcision carried
its claim down from the parent, (from Abraham, for in-
stance,) to all his posterity — children, grand-children, great-
grand-children, &c., &c. ; but baptism extends no farther
than to the immediate descendants. We might extend
this series of discordancies between these two institutions,
but it is needless. How can one be considered as occupy-
ing the place of the other, when it fails to square with it
in so many material points ? And by what right, when
setting upon this ground the claim for infant baptism, do
you disregard those material points — the sex, the age, the
subjects, the qualifications, &c. ^ Surely it cannot be said
that the question at issue is thus proved and settled.

414 REVIEW OF A SERMON

The position that " baptism is come in the room of cir-
cumcision," is attempted to be sustained by presumptive
argument ; and we have seen what is its strength. Now
here is a presumptive argument, which, in all candor, we
think, will utterly overthrow it, if, indeed, that is not al-
ready done. In the 15th chapter of the Acts of the Apos-
tles, we have an account of a conference, which was held
in the church at Jerusalem, for the purpose of resolving a
question which had created considerable commotion. The
question, in effect, was, whether the rite to circumcision
should be introduced among the Gentile converts. It was de-
liberately discussed, and determined in the negative. Now
here was a fair oj^portunity, and, I may add, a fit occasion,
to have introduced this position, that " baptism has taken
the place of circumcision," ^ had such been the sentiment
adopted by the apostles ; and our argument is this. It is
fair to presume, without a doubt, that this tenet, had it
been then held, would have been introduced in settling
this question. Nothing like it, however, appears in this
conference ; nor could the Jewish converts have known
anything about it, as they still continued, it seems, to cir-
cumcise their children : see Acts xxi. 20, 21 : another
strong collateral argument against the position, that bap-
tism occupies the place of circumcision. The preacher
thinks, however, he has made it appear that infants have a
right to church membership ; and, if so, of course to bap-
tism. And why not, I ask, in virtue of their church mem-
bership, why not a right also to the Lord's Supper ? In
ancient times, (which are regarded with so much venera-
tion, though deformed with superstition,) infant baptism
and infant communion went together, and the arguments
and objections which apply in one case will apply in the
other.

4. As another auxiliary \n the series of arguments, the

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 415

text of the discourse is again introduced : " Go disciple
all nations, baptizing them," &c., and the preacher asks :
" How would the apostles understand this commission V
Why he thinks according to the ancient custom of the
Jews, who received infants into their community, and cir-
cumcised them. No, my dear sir ; no ! but according to
the plain, common-sense construction of the language,
and in accordance with the practice which they had pur.
sued under the authority of their Master, of whom it is
said, John iv. 1, that he " made and baptized more disci-
ples than John." Made disciples and baptized them ! No
infants in the case.

5. The interesting occurrence, Mark ix. 36, 37, was
brought forward ; and that in chapter x. 14, as furnishing
evidence in favor of infant baptism. In the first instance,
our Lord is represented as taking a child, and saying to
his disciples : " Whosoever shall receive one of such chil-
dren in my name, receiveth me," &c. Baptism, I would
remark, seems foreign from the object on that occasion.
Read from ver. 33 to ver. 37, and it will be found that
the object was, to inculcate in the disciples (who had
been disputing who should be " the greatest) a spirit of
simplicity and humility, and the child was taken to illus-
trate the lesson thus inculcated. In the second instance,
young children having been brought to him for his bless-
ing, and the disciples interposing on the occasion, Jesus
was much displeased, and said : " Suffer little children to
come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the
kingdom of Heaven." The object in this case was to pro-
cure the benediction of Christ for these little ones, and it
was obtained; for we are told, ver. 16, that "he took
them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed
them." But, then, our Lord said : " Of such is the king-

416 REVIEW OF A SERMON

dom of Heaven ;" and this, we are told, implies, that in-
fants are to be considered proper members of the gospel
church. But on this point, the most respectable authori-
ties, even on the Pedobaptist side, are divided. It shall
suffice at present to quote some of them. Dr. Doddridge :
" For of such is the kingdom of God ; persons of such
character are the true subjects of my kingdom, and heirs
of eternal glory." And again, in his lectures : " It may
signify not those who are infants in age, but persons who,
in the temper and disposition of their minds, resemble the
simplicity and innocence of children." McKnight : " The
Church of God on earth, and the kingdom in heaven, are
composed of persons who resemble little children in their
disposition." To the same effect, it is said, is Bishop
Bloomfield's view, and that of some of the most eminent
German critics. Can these passages of scripture be con-
sidered as proving the divine authority of infant baptism ?
No ; they say not one word about it ; and any argument
drawn from them in its favor, applies equally to the
Lord's Supper. Why insist on one, and disregard the
other 1 Why thus reject the claims of these young disci-
ples ?

6. We are presented with an extract from Peter's ser-
mon on the day of Pentecost. Acts ii. 38, 39 : " Repent
and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus
Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost. Por the promise is unto you,
and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as
many as the Lord our God shall call." Now, I ask, what
promise ? — ^baptism 1 — the promise of baptism ? No ;
surely not. Baptism was enjoined on them, and the gift
of the Holy Spirit was promised, and salvation had been
promised, ver. 21, to all who should call on the name of

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 417

the Lord. But let this promise be whatever it may, it is
obviously limited in the concluding clause, to " as many
as the Lord our God shall call." Are infants called ?
They have nothing to do with the call. And it is strange
that -where children are mentioned in a sentence having
any sort of connection with baptism, our Pedobaptist
friends should immediately think of infants, as if a man's
descendants were not his children when grown to years,
as well as when in a state of mfancy ! But if this pro-
mise, " to you and to your children," is a ground for the
baptism of infants, where were they, I ask, on" the occa-
sion, when we hear only that " they who gladly received
his word were baptized 1" V/here were the infants '?
Probably taken good care of, but clearly, not among the
baptized. This passage is given up by many, perhaps by
most, of the most eminent Pedobaptist writers ; among
whom are Limburch, Hammond, Whitby, Bloomfield, &c.
It ought to be given up by all.

7. Paul's decision, in the case of an unbelieving hus-
band, or an unbelieving wife, was referred to. 1 Cor. viii.
14 : " For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the
wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the hus-
band, else were your children unclean, but now are they
holy." Without going into an exposition of this passage,
which would occupy too much space, it may suffice to
offer a brief remark or two. The holiness here affirmed
of the children, is obviously of the same sort with the
sanctification affirmed of the unbelieving husband or wife.
If, then, this sort of holiness entitles the children to bap-
tism, so will that sort of sanctification entitle the unbeliev-
ing parent to baptism ; and the argument is thus reduced
to an absurdity ! The case does not appear to have any
thing to do with baptism. The view just presented is
18*

418 REVIEW OF A SERMON

precisely in accordance with that of Professor Stuart ; and
Barnes' remark : " There is not one word about baptism
here ; not an allusion to it ; nor does the argument in the
remotest degree bear upon it."

8. Lastly, " the baptism of households." On this item,
it is hoped, we need not be long engaged, though much
has been said, and might be said, about it. Among the
thousands of believers, whose baptism we read of in the
New Testament, three households, or families, are pre-
sented to our notice as the subjects of baptism. These
are Lydia and her household. Acts xvi. 14, 15 ; the
jailer and all his, ver. 33, and the household of Stephanas,
1 Cor. i, 16. Well! and does it follow that there were
infants baptized in these households ? It does not. Might
there not be three believing families 1 No doubt of it.
Now, it would be sufficient for us, that it might be so, for
this admission removes all impediment out of our way ;
but it is to no purpose for the other side to say, there
might be infants in these baptized families, for the onus
prohandi (the burden of proof) lies on that side. We
are asking for proof of infant baptism, and they must
show that infants constituted a part of the baptized in
these families. We maintain that infants did not consti-
tute any part of the baptized in these households ; nor do
we admit, had there been infants in any of them, that
they would have been included in these cases, under the
term " household" — because the terms of the commission
go so obviously to exclude them : " He that believeth and
is baptized," &c. Nothing but proof that infants were
baptized will suffice. But, apart from the commission, it
will be found, from the accounts given of these house-
holds, that in two instances no infants were there, or, that
they could not have been included. These instances are,
the family of the jailer and the household of Stephanas.

ON INFANT BAPTISM. 419

Of the first, it is said that Paul and Silas " spake to him
the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house ;"
the same to all that were baptized ; and that "he rejoiced,
believing in God, with all his house." See the account.
Acts xvi. 25 — 34.* Of the second instance, the house-
hold of Stephanas, Paul says, 1 Cor. xvi. 15 : "Ye know
the house of Stephanas, that it is the first fruits of Achaia,
and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry
of the saints." No infants, then, in the case of the jailer's
family, or that of Stephanas. And what of the other in-
stance, the household of Lydia ? Why this we say of it,
though none of us know much about it — that she was a
seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, a long way
off. Pier household probably consisted of persons in her
employ. We say that our good friends, who bring up this
case, cannot possibly prove that she ever had a husband,
or a child ; and that, when Paul and Silas paid a visit to
her house, ver. 40, and had seen the brethren, they com-
forted them, and departed.

Thus ends our review, extended greatly beyond the
length which was anticipated, and leaving but little room
for concluding remarks. In these animadversions, respect-
fully offered in the spirit of cordial good will, I have en-
deavored, fliirly and candidly, to meet the arguments
which were advanced in favor of infant baptism. I have
taken the position, (one which cannot be reasonably de-
nied,) that infant baptism, to establish its claims as a di-

* Beside these circumstances, concerning the jailer's family,
there is a fact, not often noticed, which speaks strongly that no in-
fants were concerned in the case : it is the fact that the baptism
took place out of the house, see ver. 34. Who can imagine that
infants, at midnight, would be carried out of the house to be bap-
tized 1 and the ordinance performed, too, by sprinkling ! !

420 REVIEW OF A SERMON ON INFANT BAPTISM.

vine institution, must be sustained by substantial proof —
that its advocates must produce a divine command, or ex-
hibit a scriptural example, or show, by clear and conclu-
sive evidence, that the practice is sanctioned by inspired
authority. Viewing, then, in the light of this position,
the arguments which have been advanced in favor of in-
fant baptism, 1 would respectfully ask : do they stand the
test? — do they afford substantial proof in support of the
practice 1 We are compelled to believe that they do not.
How different from the evidence in favor of believers'
baptism ! How then, my friends, can you venture to
adopt a practice which finds not a loop on which to hang
a substantial argument, and thus supplant, and, in effect,
annihilate, an ordinance which shines forth with the full
lustre of unclouded evidence.

These animadversions, it is earnestly hoped, will be re-
ceived in the spirit in which they are presented. I only
add, that if Mr. McG. should be disposed to offer any re-
marks in reply, I hope the columns of the Herald will be
freely opened to him.

Grace, mercy and peace to all that love our Lord Jesus
Christ in sincerity.

A. Broaddus.*

* Some of the thoughts found in this review, are necessarily
the same with some presented in the sketch on baptism, on page
178. Still there is sufficient variety, it is believed, to justify the in-
sertion of both pieces. — Ed.

WHEN WAS INFANT BAPTISM INTRODUCED?

Your correspondent, who signs himself " A Country-
man," after notice duly given of a desire to exhibit the
grounds of his dissatisfaction as to my " Review of a
Sermon on Infant Baptism," has come forward, I see, in
the Herald, with his ^rsf difficulty.

The perusal of this second letter from my unknown
friend, who appears in this rustic guise, and in the character
of an inquirer, who wishes to have certain difficulties re-
moved, has served to strengthen a suspicion to which the
reading of his introductory letter had given rise, namely^
that this same inquiring " Countryman" is a pretty
thorough-going advocate of infant baptism ! Be this,
however, as it may, though he should choose to wear, not
only the sourtout of an anonymous signature, but the
under-coat of a closer disguise, his bearing appears to be
courteous, and courtesy it gives me pleasure to reci-
procate. With the utmost cheerfulness, therefore, I will
endeavor, as opportunity may allow, for I have several
other matters claiming my attention, to meet the wishes
of " A Countryman," and to solve his difficulties as they
may be presented. To the matter then before us.

422 FOR "a countryman."

My first difficulty," says your correspondent, " is this :
I want to find out where infant baptism began :" — they
"tell me that it is an innovatioBL|wbut none of them tell
me when it began." Nor indeed can I, precisely. If.
however, it had begun in the times of Christ and his
apostles, there would have been no difficulty with him or
myself in finding out when it began : the sacred record
would have contained the desired information. And so,
this very lack of information operates against infant bap-
tism. " I want to know," he says, " ivhen, where^ and by
whom^ it was first preached and practised." Now, if this
request had been made with respect to believers' baptism,
I could have complied with it readily, and have answered
very definitely. When was it Jirst preached and practised %
Some 1800 and odd years ago, in the times of Christ and
his apostles. Wliere ? In the land of Judea, and regions
round about. By whom ? By the great Master and his
faithful servants. But with respect to infant baptism, the
question, [ think, may be fairly retorted on its advocates —
" vjhen, vjhere, and by ivhom, was it first preached and
practised V Can they refer to the same record, and give
us a plain and satisfactory response. I trow not.

Well, but our inquirer thinks, as we tell him that infant
baptism " is an innovation," it behooves us to show some
account of its rise in history ; and to refer him to " chapter
and page" where such account may be foimd; other-
wise, it seems, he will consider it " not unnatural to con-
clude, that it has always been the custom in the churches
of God." Our inquirer seems to forget here, while he is
calling for " chapter and page" in the records of history, to
show the introduction of infant baptism a.s an innovation^
that he might a fortiori^ call for " chapter and verse" in
the New Testament, to show its existence as a divine in-

FOE " A COUNTRYMAN." 4S3

stitution ! I am afraid, that as an inquirer after truth, his
mind is not so unbiassed by prejudice as might be wished.
However, for the present, let that pass. Has " A Country-
man" reflected on the consequence of making this condition
a test in such a case as this % If the rise of infant baptism
as an innovation, cannot be definitely pointed out in history,
he will be justified in the conclusion, that it is of divine
authority. What then, I ask, will he say of a number of
gross and grievous errors, which have crept in under the
mask of Christianity, which it is unnecessary to particu-
larize % Errors, hoary with age, and venerable by anti-
quity, if indeed antiquity could make them venerable !
Can " A Countryman," wdth the aid of his " book about
church history," or with the aid of all the books he can
muster, inform us precisely as to the rise of each of these
errors ? point to " chapter and page," and show us when^
where, and hy whom each of them was introduced? Or,
applying his test, and finding that he cannot ascertain this
point, will he deem it proper to conclude, that " it has
always been the custom in the churches of God," to ad-
mit these things of divine authority % And suppose that
he could satisfy himself in this way, what are " the plain
people," " the country people," of w^hom he speaks, and
for whom he seems to write — what are they to do ? Must
all of them procure books of church history, and search the
records of antiquity, in order to decide the question as to
the divine authority of any controverted tenet % Or must
they depend on those few who may have the means in their
hands for applying the test? Ah, my good sir, whoever
you may be, we have a much better test by which to
decide questions of this sort ; one, to which our appeal
must at last be made ; and it may save a great deal of
useless trouble and perplexity to an inquirer, at once to

424 FOR

make that appeal, and determine to abide the decision.
You understand me : " To the law, and to the testi-
mony," &c.

But, Mr. Editor, I am not yet quite done with this point.
Your correspondent thinks that " the first effort to bring
into the church so great a change as that from adult to
infant baptism, would have been promptly opposed and
strongly condemned ; and that we should have some
account of it in history." Herein, I remark, he seems to
have lost sight of what may be termed, the philosophy of
the progress of error. It is not usual with error, though it
may sometimes be the case, to depart very widely from
the truth, by a sudden siting. Error generally creeps :
and from this known fact has come the expression, —
" errors crept inr By degrees, a state of things is induced
which prepares for error of a grosser and grosser character;
and thus it passes from one stage to another, without
creating any alarm or revulsion of feeling, and frequently
without having its stages all marked down in history. The
correctness of this representation will hardly, I think, be
questioned by "A Countryman." How then shall we
determine with respect to a controverted point, whether it
be an innovation or not ? By searching old records, often
interpolated by translators, to discover, if we can, ivhen^
ivhere^ and by whom^ it was introduced? No ; but by re-
curring to first principles, to the unadulterated standard of
truth.

After all, however, we are by no means destitute of
historical evidence^ to prove, in a satisfactory manner, that
infant baptism is an innovation. Not pretending myself
to be versed in ancient church history from original sources,
I will bring forward evidence, such as I have access to,
from second-hand : but it shall be from writers of learning

FOR A "countryman." 425

and research, and such as cannot be accused of partiality
for Baptist views ; being themselves of the Pedobaptist
persuasion. Let a few brief testimonies suffice.

Mosheim, the learned church-historian, makes no mention
of infant baptism, in his account of baptism in the first
century — a strong presumptive evidence of its non-
existence ; no historical documents, it seems, relating to
that matter. The subjects of baptism are represented by
him as being, at an early period, such as " acknowledged
Christ as the Saviour of mankind, and made solemn pro-
fession of confidence in him :" these, he says, " were im-
mediately baptized and received into the church." At a
subsequent period, a class was introduced called catechu-
mens, or such as were in a state of preparation for bap-
tism. No infants mentioned. Let us now hear some of
the celebrated modem German writers.

JVeande?', an eminent German critic and ecclesiastical
historian, says : — " It cannot possibly be proved that infant
baptism was practised in the apostolic age. The late in-
troduction— the opposition it met with in the second
century, rather speak against an apostolical origin."

Professor Hann : " Neither in the scriptures, nor during
the first hundred and fifty years, is a sure example of in-
fant baptism to be found ; and we must concede that the
numerous opposers of it cannot be contradicted on gospel
ground." [Theology, p. 556.]

Testimonies such as these, from some of the most emi-
nent writers, could be multiplied, if necessary ;* but at
present I forbear. It is not to be wondered at, much less
to be thought incredible, that infant baptism, as an inno-
vation, should have " crept in," among other errors, at an
early period in the Christian era, even as early as the second
* Strong testimony from English bishops can be produced.

426 FOR

century ; in the course of which, there was a sad departure
from the simplicity of the gospel. There does not appear,
however, any clear and decisive evidence that inflint bap-
tism, strictly so called, had actually begun to be practised
before the expiration of the second century : though this,
by the way, is a question of no great moment. Tertul-
liari's opposition, it has been thought, though in effect
militating against it, refers rather to the baptizing of very
young catechumens^ than to that of babes : going to illustrate
the fact, that the subjects of baptism were i*educed down,
from intelligent believers to little children ; and then, sub-
sequently, from them to mere babes : as long afterwards, the
mode was reduced, from iinmersion to pouring^ and from
pouring to sprinkling. And now, lo ! we have sometimes
heard it said, " One drop of water is as good as an

ocean

Upon the whole, I cannot now resist the persuasion, that
if " A Countryman" has brought with him to this inquiry
a mind free from the shackles of prejudice, his " first diffi-
culty" will by this time have vanished, and that we shall
have clear riddance and room for the second.

With respect to the argument founded on a majority^ or
the weight due to any practice on that account, after what
I have said on that matter in my " Review," I deem it
unnecessary to employ time or occupy space in going over
that ground. The mind of my unknown friend seems still
to linger around it : I know not to what purpose ; for he
himself admits, that a majority furnishes no proof that the
truth is on that side. Were it otherwise, the Reformation
from Popery might be justly condemned ; and an estimate
must be formed of the population of Christendom, and of
the numbers arrayed on each side of a controverted ques-
tion, in order to form a decision.

FOR "a countryman." 427

In noticing the fact that " the immersion of believers is
gaining ground over the head of all opposition, among all
classes, and even in the very bosom of Pedobaptist
churches," I intended the remark, as I then observed, as
an offset against the argument drawn from the fact of a
majority on the Pedobaptist side : and in all good con-
science I can say, I really think it fully an equivalent for
such an argument. Well, but I closed the remark with
the proverbial saying, " Truth is great, and will prevail !"
which might seem to imply, that I considered the increase
of 'proselytes a test of truth. If so, I can only say, I did
not intend to be so understood. Truth will ultimately
prevail : but all that does prevail is not truth. Under cer-
tain circumstances, however, I do consider the increase of
proselytes, or converts, as a presumptive evidence in favor
of the cause : as for instance, in the case of Christianity
in its first propagation. And in regard to the case above
mentioned, the growth of the sentiment in favor of the
immersion of believers takes place under circumstances
very difterent from those w^iich attend the increase of
Popery. The cases are not parallel, as might easily be
shown ; but it does not appear to be necessary. The
question at issue is to be decided on other grounds.

These remarks are respectfully submitted to the candid
consideration of " A Countryman," with my best wishes
for his success in seeking for the truth.

A. Broaddus.

€n i'lttiiu^

SiE : — I received, yesterday, from the B. Green, Caro-
line, yours without date, but post-marked, Richmond, April
6. — Steam ! and not knowing your whereabouts, I address
you, in the way of reply, through the columns of the
Religious Herald ; the nature of the case will, I trust, be
considered a satisfactory apology for the measure which I
have deemed it expedient to adopt.

You say, that " a communication sent to the Religious
Herald for publication, some three months since, is, as you
understand, in my possession :" and, complaining of the
conduct of Mr. Sands, as " an outrage on editorial faith,"
you request that the manuscript may be sent to Mr.
G , Richmond, before the 10th of the present month.

An explanation of this affair is certainly due to you ;
and, as fir as I am concerned, shall be readily and faithful-
ly given.

Some two months since, perhaps, upon recollection, two
months and a half, a MS. of several sheets was put into
my hands, which I found to consist of " Strictures on my
Review of a Sermon on Infant Baptism." It was received
in a crowded congregation — I do not remember from
whom, nor did I know whence it came. Since that time, very
lately, the friend who had brought it from Richmond has

TO CLERICUS.

429

informed me, that he had written a few lines in the envelop,
explanatory of this little matter about which I was in the
dark ; but these lines I had entirely overlooked, thi-owing
the envelop by, as of no consequence. There might have
existed a question, whether I should be willing to be in-
volved in a long controversy with an anonymous writer, —
one, at least, who was unwilling to appear before the public
on the same terms with myself, and therefore it might
have been deemed proper to let me have a glance at this
production.

After a very cursory reading of this communication, in-
tending, should it be published, to give it a more attentive
perusal, I sent it on, by the first safe conveyance, securely
enclosed, along with a note to the editor of the Eeligious
Herald, to the effect, that though I had bespoken a place
in the Herald, only for the gentleman whose sermon 1 had
reviewed, I hoped that this anonymous production might
be admitted — truth having nothing to fear from investiga-
tion. It was thought, indeed, by several judicious friends
to whom this matter was mentioned, that the terms were
not altogether fair and equitable — one party, in an important
controversy, giving his name ; the other, declining to appear
openly in propria persona. Mr. Sands, too, I have under-
stood, thought so : and this may operate as a reason for his
hesitancy in regard to the publication of the " Strictures ;"
or, it may be, that the columns of the Herald having been
latterly so occupied with discussions on different topics, room
has not been found for this long communication. He,
however, can answer for himself, and assign his own reasons.

In the meantime, as you seem disposed (as well as I can
recollect, from what you somewhere said in your commu-
nication) to try a more regular discussion of the subject of
baptism, what think you, sir, of dispensing with "Reviews"

430 TO CLERICUS.

and "Strictures," and commencing de novo ! We might
otherwise weary our readers with a course of an immetho-
dical character, long before we should be ready to com-
mence with a regular discussion. Such a discussion, as I
understand the matter, you have proposed, and very re-
spectfully, I accei^t the i^opoBal — on condition, however,
that the whole discussion, which must embrace the scriptu-
ral mode and subjects of baptism, shall regularly appear in
the " Southern Churchman," as well as in the " Religious
Herald." And on this condition, I am perfectly willing, (as
you seem very reluctant that I should meddle with names,
although I certainly never meant any discourtesy by it,)
that you retain the signature, under the form in which you
have preferred to appear, giving your ow^i proper name
to the editors and myself. It will be understood that you
are a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal Church ; and,
I have no reason to doubt, in deservedly high and reputable
standing.

Being much pressed with some other matters requiring
my attention, it will be requisite on this account, and it is
presumed wall best suit the editors and readers, that the
pieces presented for publication be of a moderate length,
say, about two columns and a half in the Herald.*

On the above conditions, I cannot doubt that Mr. Sands
will freely open his columns to the discussion. Be so
obliging, sir, as to let me hear from you, in reply, through
the Herald.

Permit me here to say, my good sir, that I am one of
the too few, who ardently desire that the time might shortly
arrive, when all sincere Christians, united on some consist-
ent ground, in one mighty phalanx, may bring their moral

* These propositions seem not to have been acceded to by " Cleri-
cus," as the contemplated discussion never took place. — Ed.

TO CLERICUS. 4S1

power to bear on this fallen world of ours, and thus
accomplish the object of the Redeemer's prayer, John xvii.
21 : " That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in
me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us ; that
the world may believe that thou hast sent me." Cherish-
ing this desire, and believing as I do that this object — this
great desideratum^ cannot be accomplished while infant
haptism continues to prevail, I cannot but feel an earnest
wish, that this error, excuse me, good sir, should be ex-
punged fi'om the Christian world. Forms of church govern -
ment, and some other matters, Avould prove but slight
barriers ; but infant haptis^n subverts, in my view, the con-
stitution of the gospel church — tends naturally, nay, neces-
sarily^ to an amalgamation of the church and the world,
and has thus^proved the fruitful source of evils, dire and
lamentable, which have been perpetrated under the guise,
and in the name, of the holy religion of Jesus Christ !

Indulge me yet a little farther. You seem to think,
from something which I saw in the " Strictures," that I feel
an inveterate hostility to the " Prayer Book." In this,
sir, you are under a mistake. Expurgated from some
things which smack strongly of Romanism, such as the
Baptismal Service^ part of the Catechism^ a long train of
Saints^ Days, and some other days — it would, in my view,
be an admirable composition. The note in my review,
to which you refer in your letter, and which you quote
from memory, is in these words : " Excellent sentiments,
clothed in beautiful language, are to be found in the ' Book
of Common Prayer,' but some things, brought from Rome,
of an awfully exceptionable character." Permit me, sir, to
ask, ought it to be believed that the reformers, just emerg-
ing from the den of Anti-Christ, did at once shed all the
exuvice of Popery 1 No, sir, no ! and there is, I suspect.

432 TO CLERICUS.

much to be done, before the Christian church, so called, be
made conformable to the " pattern shown in the mount,"
and the gospel and its institutions shine forth in all their
native lustre.

The remarks in yours now before me, in which you remon-
strate against the imputation which I have somewhere thrown
on the Church of England, '^and the Episcopal Church
of this country, in regard to the doctrine of justification, or
remission of sins, through baptism, receives my respectful
attention, and shall be duly noticed hereafter. At present
I can add no more, than an earnest and hearty reciproca-
tion of the wish with which you conclude, that " the Lord
may bless and lead us into all truth."

A. Broaddus.

a diitiBni (Cnnrniiing Snptism/

Two of your correspondents, some time ago, were at
issue, on a question of some considerable interest ; and
both of them having done me the honor to request a
statement of my view of that case, I now take occasion
briefly to offer my thoughts, in compliance with the wishes
of these brethren. This I would liave done with more
promptness, but for my engagement on other matters,
which could not well be postponed.

The case, 1 think, will be clearly exhibited in the follow-
ing query : " Ought a minister in our connection to bap-
tize a candidate for the ordinance, who gives satisfactory
evidence of faith in Jesus Christ, but acknowledges, at the
same time, an intention to unite with a Pedobaptist
Church V I take the affirmative in this case, qualifying
it, however, with this condition, viz. : that the candidate
shall clearly and fully profess a belief, that there is no
other scriptural baptism than immersion, nor any other
proper subject than a professed believer. My reasons for

* In the discussion which ensued on the introduction of this
subject into the Religious Herald, Mr. Broaddus's view was ably se-
conded by Elders Ryland and Stringfellow. — Ed.
19

434 A QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM.

tills solution, both in regard to the affirmative and the
condition with which it is qualified, shall be briefly and
plainly stated.

1. With regard to the affirmative. The commission of
the Master is, to make disciples, and baptize them ; (Matt,
xxviii. 19 ;) and in compliance with this commission, we
find that the pre-requisite — the state of mind constituting
a disciple, being professed, baptism followed as the estab-
lished order. It does not seem necessary to refer to ex-
amples in confirmation of this position ; it will, no doubt,
be admitted. This then being the case, it must also, I
think, be admitted, that the scriptural evidence is, prima
facie^ in favor of our solution in the affirmative, viz. :
that a person making a credible profession of faith
in Christ is entitled to baptism, M'ithout looking to
any condition, saving that which I have mentioned, and
for which I am about presently to assign the reason.
If, indeed, it should appear, from anything that can
be gathered, that the candidate intends to pursue a
course, or adopt a measure, inconsistent with faith in
Christ, in that case the credibility of his profession is de-
stroyed ; or, at least, it is so far weakened, as to justify
the administrator in refusing to grant his request. The
question, then, is this : Does an intimation on the part of
the candidate, that he intends to join, or to continue in a
Pedobaptist Church, destroy the credibility of his profes-
sion of faith in Christ ; or does it so far weaken it as to
destroy confidence in that profession ? I should think not.
He is considered as having made a profession to which
there is no objection ; he manifests his attachment to the
Redeemer, by desiring to be buried with him in baptism ;"
and liis intention to join a Pedobaptist Church, though an

A QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM. 435

error, is not one of such a character as vitally to affect
the faith which he professes.

Baptism is a gospel ordinance, but not a church ordi-
nance ; it would seem, therefore, that a person, as a sub-
ject, or a possessor of the gospel faith, may, on that
ground, claim the privilege of baptism. This ordinance,
I readily admit, is requisite to church-membership and
church-fellowship, and was designed, no doubt, with a
view to the institution of the gospel church. Still, how-
ever, it does not follow, that the privilege of baptism
must depend on church-membership. The latter may de-
pend on the former, while the former does not necessarily
depend on the latter.

Believers, being baptized, are then, according to the
commission, to be taught all things whatsoever Christ
has commanded us ; and among these " all things," I rea-
dily allow that w^e are to include the institution of the
church. And here, I am aware, the question may come
up : Will not a failure, in the known intention of the can-
didate, as to a compliance with what we believe to be the
will of Christ, be a forfeiture of his right to baptism 1 I
would answer, no ; not unless that failure be of such a
character as to invalidate the profession which he makes
of faith in Christ as the only Redeemer. As far as such
a person goes — that is, in believing and being baptized, I
think we must say, so far he goes right. Shall we then
refuse to lend our aid for the accomplishment of that
which we approve as being so far right 1 Rather, I would
say, shall we not encourage these returns to the primitive
pattern, in regard to this important ordinance ; and thus
be making inroads on error, at whatever point we may be
able to assail it 1 Infant baptism, and its concomitant,
infant membership, form, in my view, the only insur-

436 A QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM.

mountable barrier to a general union of evangelical
Christians of different denominations. The very constitu-
tion of the Church is radically affected by it. That bar-
rier being removed, the various forms of church govern-
ment, and other minor matters, need be no impediment to
a general union — a consummation. O how desirable ! —
the fulfilment of the Redeemer's prayer ! — the precursor
of the conversion of the world ! And this object appears
to me to be promoted by all the inroads that are properly
made on infant baptism. Let it, moreover, here be con-
sidered, that Pedobaptist ministers have no right to be
tampering with baptism ; they themselves refusing to sub-
mit to the ordinance. Persons, therefore, in the category
embraced in the query, cannot be baptized, if we refuse
to do it, unless it be in an irregular and disorderly man-
ner. But,

2. With regard to the condition with which this affirm-
ative answ^er is qualified. This condition is, that the
candidate, in this case, shall clearly and fully profess a be-
lief, that there is no other scriptural baptism than immer-
sion, nor any other proper subject than a professed be-
liever. The reason for this condition may be given in
few words. It may be that a person in the circumstances
which have been stated, never having been baptized, or
christened, in infmcy, may prefer immersion, as being
more clearly scriptural, while yet he holds that infant bap-
tism may be allowed of, as not inconsistent with the
scriptures, and possibly, too, may consider other modes
than immersion as being capable of answering the end of
baptism. Now, in any such case, the view of such a per-
son being subversive of the scripture representation of the
ordinance, I should, for this reason, consider him not prop-
erly entitled to the ordinance; and the administration of it,

A QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM. 437

under such circumstances, by a Baptist minister, would,
in my estimation, be an inconsistency.

Such are my views of the case presented in the query,
and such are my reasons in support of these views.
They are respectfully and affectionately submitted to the
consideration of the brethren who were at issue on this
point, wdth some hope that what I have written may
prove satisfactory to both of them, and may conduce, in
some measure, towards a settling of the question in the
minds of others.

Grace, mercy and peace !

A. Broaddijs.

€lfB diuBrti (i^^niitniiiHg lonjitism.

I had no right to expect that my reply to the " Query
concerning Baptism" would meet with no opposition,
aware as I was, at the time of writing it, that a great pro-
portion of our brethren, if not a majority of them, enter"
tained a different view of the case from that which was
presented in my communication. If I had thought that
numbers constituted the strength of an argument, I might
perhaps have said, " The noes appear to have it," and so
at once have yielded to conviction. I must own, how-
ever, that I did not calculate on an assault from so many
points of the compass ! — the strictures of four brethren,
announced in the Herald. Of this, however, I am not at
all disposed to complain. With their views of the matter,
they have, no doubt, acted correctly ; and the two who
have already appeared, (brother Walker and brother Tins-
ley,) have written in a spirit which meets my cordial ap-
probation ; and for the courtesy and respect with which
they have treated me, I hope they will accept my sincere
thanks.

Deeming it the better policy not to wait till " the bat-
tle thickens," and considering it prol^able that these two
brethren have forestalled their coadjutors, in regard to the
objections and arguments which the case may furnish, I
shall proceed forthwith to offer some remarks in the way

THE QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM. 439

of reply, reciprocating, at the same time, the kind feelings
which have been manifested towards myself, and using
that freedom, in my animadversions, which I am confident
cannot be offensive.

The query alluded to is in effect as follows : " Ought a
minister in our connection to baptize a candidate for the
ordinance who gives satisfactory evidence of faith in Jesus
Christ, but acknowledges, at the same time, an intention
to unite with a Pedobaptist church V I took the affirma-
tive, qualifying it, how^ever, with a certain condition.
These brethren have unqualifiedly taken the negative.
And thus we are at issue on this question.

With brother Walker I can say, " I do sincerely wish,
that there could be more uniformity in our practice touch-
ing this matter." But I cannot concur with him in the
opinion, that "the agitation of this subject does more to
unsettle the minds of Baptists on the subject of commu-
nion, than it can do good," &c. As far as my observa-
tion has extended, this question has had nothing to do
with any unsettled state of mind, which some Baptists
have experienced on the subject of mixed communion.
With them the question has been whether there is good
ground for a refusal on the part of the Baptists, to inter-
change communion in the Lord's Supper with pious Pedo-
baptists — a question which, I think, has been generally
pretty well settled in fiivor of the practice of the Baptist
churches. I admit, indeed, that to sanction the baptizing
of such as intend to join a Pedobaptist church, might
give rise to a question with respect to the reception of
such individuals to communion w^ith us. This, however,
is a distinct question ; and it does not follow that, be-
cause they have received valid baptism, they ought, there-
fore, to be invited to unite with us in a church-ordinance.

440 THE QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM.

while they cannot be recognized as church members. But
neither the apprehension of the rise of such a question as
this, nor any calculation of probable consequences of this
sort, should be urged as an argument or an objection, in a
discussion of the merits of this case. Let us endeavor to
ascertain the right thing ; nor fear the result of any ques-
tion that may arise from its adoption. I hate " vain jan-
gling ;" but discussion properly conducted — a little " agi-
tation" for the truth's sake — is better than the profound
repose of error, which, like the stillness of death, forbids
any farther improvement. Excuse me, brethren ; I have
no thought that you wish to cherish error.

It " does more," says brother Walker, " to unsettle the
minds of the Baptists," &;c., " than it can do good in
bringing Pedobaptists over to us." My dear sir, it has
not been my object, my aim, in the discussion of this
subject, to " bring Pedobaptists over to us," but to bring
them on, as far as may be, in the way of truth. I think,
however, that this incipient stage gives fair promise of a
farther progress — issuing in a union with us, and ulti-
mately in a general union of the lovers and followers of
Christ, in the different sects into which they are now di-
vided. Apro2:>os, of this matter. I am persuaded that
there is a responsibility resting on us and on others^ the
weight of which we have never yet duly felt. I allude to
the Redeemer's intercessory prayer, John xvii. 21 ; tak-
ing it for granted that there are many, many true be-
lievers, lovers of Christ, who are shut up from each other
by the barriers of an inveterate prejudice, the result of
error and a sectarian spirit. What is the voice of that
prayer 1 " That they all may be one, as thou. Father, art
in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us ;
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."

THE QUERY CONCERNIXG BAPTISM. 441

Now, what are we doing towards the accomplishment of
this desirable object — " a consummation so devoutly to
be wished for V — when Christians, combined in one
mighty mass, shall bring their moral force to bear on the
world, and the Redeemer " shall see of the travail of his
soul, and be satisfied !" "Will any of those good brethren
who (with an honest zeal, I have no doubt,) opposed my
solution of the query concerning baptism — will any of
them, or any others, come out with a call to this object,
and some suggestions as to the measures to be adopted ?
Honored and happy those Vv^io shall contribute thereunto !
Future generations shall call them blessed ! But, to the
matter more immediately in hand.

Brother Walker, rather to my surprise, is at a loss
fully to comprehend the distinction which I made between
" a gospel ordinance and a church ordinance ;" and brother
Tinsley, under a mistaken view of the matter, has em-
ployed the greater part of a long paragraj^h in proving
what I should never think of calling in question — namely,
that the Lord's Supper is a gospel ordinance, as well as
baptism. I am sorry that I did not define the meaning
which I attached to these terms, or explain my application
of them. I ask to be excused for this omission. Brother
Tinsley's mistake has arisen from an idea that these two
terms, which were used merely for distinction, must have
been put in exclusive opposition to each other. But this
erroneous impression being corrected, he will see, I think,
at once, that two institutions may both be gospel ordi-
nances, as being both set forth in the gospel ; and but one
of them properly a church ordinance, as being adminis-
tered only in the church. For distinction's sake, then,
while considering baptism and the Lord's Supper as being
19*

442 THE QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM.

both gospel ordinances, I said, " baptism is a gospel ordi-
nance, but not a church oi'dinance."

The distinction designed by the use of these terms, is
now, I trust, clearly understood; and as my argument
rests, in some considerable degree, on the validity of the
position here taken, I shall offer some remarks with a view
to the sustaining of this point.

The particular argument here alluded to is this : " Bap-
tism is a gospel ordinance, but not a church ordinance ; it
would seem, therefore," (I might have used a stronger
term,) " that a person, as a subject, or a possessor of the
gospel faith, may, on that ground, claim the privilege of
baptism." Now, is this position, constituting the premise
of the argument, a good and valid one ? I think it is.
" Baptism is a gospel ordinance, but not a church ordi-
nance." This is the proposition. But let us here stop a
little to define. What do we understand by the " church ?"
The term, as applied in the New Testament to the people
of God, is sometimes used to represent the whole host of
the redeemed, or the church universal on earth and in
heaven. Heb. xii. 23. Eph. i. 22, 23. It refers also to
the great body of true believers in Jesus Christ, through-
out the world, or the church universal on earth. Matt. xvi.
]8. Eph. iii. 21. This universal church, we may remark,
ought to be composed of baptized believers, as in the
apostles' days, no doubt, was the case ; that is, as far as
circumstances would allow, and then it would be a visible
universal church. But, once more. The term is used,
and most frequently, in reference to an organized body of
professed believers, baptized upon a profession of faith,
and maintaining the appointments and institutions of
Jesus Christ, the head and chief ruler of the body. Hence

THE QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM. 443

the word is frequently, in this application of it, used in
the plural, because these were distinctly organized bodies.
Acts ix. 31. Gal. i. 2. Acts xx. 17. Now it is to this
application of the term that I refer, when I say, that
" baptism is not a church ordinance ;" by which I mean,
that the subjects of it are not at the time members of
the church ; and I will add, that they are not thereby
made, constituted, members of the church.

Herein my view comes into conflict with that of brother
Tinsley, and, I suppose, with that of brother Walker.
The latter says of baptism, " it is the ordinance which
gives membership in the visible kingdom." I should say,
rather, which qualifies for membership in the visible
church ; meaning an organized body. He says, " a be-
liever, baptized by a Baptist minister, is, de facto, a Bap-
tist." Very true ; he is a baptized believer, but is he
necessarily, and of course, a member of an organized
church 1 That is the question now at issue. We shall
try this case. Brother T. is quite confident as to the
issue. He assumes that baptism is the door, " the only
door, into the Christian church," and then he proves, very
easily indeed, that " the individual who passes that door,
m.ust, of course, be in the building ;" and so, " he who is
baptized must be a member of the church." Well, but
" it has always been admitted," says brother T., " that bap-
tism is the only door into the Christian church." No, my
dear sir, no ! You thought so, 1 have no doubt ; but this
is a mistake. It has not always been admitted, that bap-
tism is, de facto, the door into the church. There is, in-
deed, as far as I know, but one door into the church ; but
that, 1 am persuaded, is not, properly speaking, baptism.
What then ? it may be asked. I answer, mutual consent,
compact, or agreement. This mutual agreement is, in-

444 THE QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM.

deed, virtually anticipated, when a church consents to re-
ceive a candidate with a view to baptism and fellowship ;
but in the order of time and of things, it is to be con-
sidered as belonging to a period subsequent to baptism.
And hence, notwithstanding this anticipated agreement,
many churches are in the habit, and very properly, of re-
ceiving to membership the newly baptized, by a formal
act.

There is but one door, it is said, into the church ; mean-
ing an organized, visible church, and this is conceded.
Now, then, if baptism is actually this door of entrance,
through what door, I ask, shall an excluded member, peni-
tent for his transgressions — ay, through what door shall
he find admittance to the family within ? Make baptism
the door of entrance into the church, and he must be re-
baptized ! Let mutual consent be the door, and the en-
trance is unbarred.

I admit, indeed, that there may be a difficulty, with re-
spect to the person baptized under the peculiar circum-
stances mentioned in the query ; a difficulty in assigning
to him the predicament in wdiich he stands as a baptized
believer. But what of this ? Pedobaptism has intro-
duced this difficulty, and we are not accountable for it.
And surely, if my good brother, W., may allow himself
to plead the fact of a different state of things, from the
introduction of Pedobaptism, as a reason for some re-
straint on " that latitude in the administration of baptism,
which the commission would seem to indicate," I may be
allowed to recur to the same fact, merely to account for a
difficulty.

But, to brother W.'s main ground of objection : " My
view of this query," says he, " is built on the presumption,
that ' an intimation on the part of the candidate, that he

THE QUERY CONCERNINa BAPTISM. 445

intends to join, or to continue in a Pedobaptist church,'
so far weakens the credibility of his profession of faith in
Christ, as to impair my confidence in it." Now, really
the ground which brother Walker has taken on this parti-
cular point, is what I could not have expected. That
there have been and that there are, amongst the Pedo-
baptists, many men, eminently pious and devoted, his
own heart, I am sure, is ready to testify, and his own
library bears witness. And shall a conviction in the
breast of a pious Pedobaptist, that the immersion of a
believer is the only scriptural baptism, (a conviction
which Ttie is desirous of carrying out in practice,) so
weaken the credibility of his profession of faith in Christ,
and so " impair" our confidence in that profession, that we
shall deny to him the right of claiming to be a child of
grace — a believer in Jesus Christ? To me this seems
strange, indeed ! But he is very inconsistent, in being
baptized, and remaining in a Pedobaptist church. Eea-
dily granted. And so are all the Pedobaptists, most no-
toriously inconsistent with the New Testament, in practis-
ing infant sprinkling ; and yet, we believe there are emi-
nently pious persons amongst them, cordial believers in
Jesus Christ, and, therefore, proper subjects of baptism.
And here let me add, that if all the pious Pedobaptists
were to be baptized on the principle proposed in the an-
swer to the query, it must be conceded, one would think,
that this would be going a great way towards the extinc-
tion of Pedobaptist churches.

I must here break off" abruptly, as this communication
has already extended beyond the limits which I had
marked out. I cannot finish my review of brother
Walker's arguments ; and much remains as yet unnoticed
in brother Tinsley's article ; some of it, too, of more dif

446 THE QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM.

ficult management than what has come under examination.
And alas ! here is the Herald of Feb. 2, just come to
hand, with the other two threatened field-pieces — brother
Mason's and brother Jordan's. Let me take a glance.
Brother Jordan's is the shorter ; I'll read that first . . .
Very v*^ell ! Written in a spirited manner ; but at the
same time, though with some exception, in a very good
spirit, and in effect not diflfering materially from my view,
though he is afraid of the consequence, and opposed to
the practice. Now for brother Mason's piece. . . .
Written with considerable ability, though, in some in-
stances, glaringly inconsistent ; and, what is worse, rather
rough and gnarled ! What need was there ; nay, what
ground for insinuations, and implications as to motive or
principle of action, with respect to those who differ with
him on this point "? Brother Mason is confident that I
will not take it unkindly, that, on the subject here dis-
cussed, he cannot subscribe to my opinion. Certainly ! —
I cannot think of taking this unkindly. Or that he should
refuse to call me " master." Most certainly, again ! But
this I may say, that when I assume the master, and issue
my views in a dictatorial manner, then, indeed, I may
consider him very refractory if he does not submit.

Grace, mercy and peace !

A. Broaddus.

B ^utx^ (CnutHHiug 1}E|itisiii,

Being otherwise engaged, and indeed wanting a little
breathing-spell, I have suffered a considerable space of
time to elapse since my review, in part, of the arguments
and objections of brethren Walker and Tinsley, in their
communications on the subject indicated in the caption of
this article.

It may be recollected, by those who have read this dis-
cussion, that I closed the piece above alluded to, just at
the time when the Herald, containing the animadversions
of Elder Mason and brother Jordan, came to hand, and
that in noticing this circumstance, I just took a glance
at the general character and spirit of these communica-
tions.

It is my intention to resume the subject, with no design,
however, to enter into a review in detail, of all the objec-
tions and difficulties which have been presented by the
opponents who have appeared on the arena in this discus-
sion. It would burden the columns of the Herald — would
probably weary the patience of your readers, and, moreover,
would occupy a greater proportion of my time and attention
than at present I can devote to this one object. In my
proposed continuance, therefore, of this subject, I have it

448 THE QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM.

in contemplation, briefly to notice only the more material
objections which remain to be noticed, and to present, in a
general manner, the main argument in favor of the posi-
tion which I have taken. The present article, however, is
designed for the purpose of offering some remarks sug-
gested by the manner and spirit in which this subject has
been discussed.

The verdict of several of your correspondents, I observe,
is in favor of free discussion,— the judicious exercise of
which appears to be fitly adapted to the purpose of striking
out light on points around which may have hung a con-
siderable degree of obscurity. Sorry should I be, if, with
our present attainments, we are to believe that we have
already arrived at the ne p)lus ultra of Bible knowledge ;
and readily do I unite w^ith brother Frazer, in hailing the
spirit of inquiry now at work among all denominations, as
the harbinger of a brighter day !

I have said, " the judicious exercise" of free discussion :
I include, under this term, the exercise of a right spirit. In
such a manner, according to my judgment, this discussion
has in general been conducted. I am sorry that there
should have been any exception. Before I proceed any
farther with these remarks, let me briefly state the case.

A query, as to the propriety of baptizmg persons giving
satisfactory evidence of faith in Christ, without making
membership a sine qua non in order to baptism, was pre-
sented to my notice, by two brethren who were at issue on
that point, and my view of the case was requested. I took
the affirmative in the solution of this query, qualifying it,
however, with a certain condition, and offered my reasons
for the position thus taken. The query, no doubt, was
open for discussion to all who might choose to enter the
field : and my arguments and remarks were fair game for

THE QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM. 449

all : — ]provided^ however, that while they shot at my argu-
ments, they should not also shoot at me. All this, I take
it, is accordant with what may be termed the common
law, in cases of controversial discussion : a free range in
the way of argument ; but let not the rules of Christian
courtesy be violated. It is expected that no undeserved
imputations be dealt out ; and especially that motives
shall not be implicated, unless some good reason can be
assigned for such implication.

"With these conditions or provisions in view, which it is
presumed will be admitted by every candid and considerate
person, I may be permitted to ask, and chiefly in the way
of self-defence, what ground had been given in the discus-
sion of this subject, for some imputations which Elder
Mason has thought proper to dispense on this occasion 1
To me they appear, and to others too, entirely gratuitous,
and, of course, very illiberal. Was there anything like
arrogance in presenting my thoughts on a point to which
my attention had been particularly called ? I cannot think
so, unless this had been done in some sort of magisterial
manner : and with this, methinks, I shall hardly be charged.
Indeed, without meaning to impute such a manner to my
good friend and brother, I am very willing that in this
respect at least, my humble production, in its whole tone
and aspect, shall be compared with his ; — not feeling the
least apprehension that I shall suffer by the comparison.

But what is there to be complained of in the animadver-
sions alluded to % Let me specify in some two or three
instances.

1. " Were it not for that mistaken accommodating spirit
caught from the times, misnamed charity^ liberality^'' &c.
What right has brother M. to charge on us the being in-
fluenced by such a spirit as this, merely because we took

450 THE QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM.

that side of the question which we believed to be sustained
by the great commission and the practice of the apostles 1
None, we say, none ; unless, to differ from his view is to
be guided by the temporizing spirit of accommodation.
Whether right or wrong on this point, we protest against
the imputation.

2. " And will I be pardoned," says he, " for adding, in
some cases, a want of independence amongst ourselves V—
" A want of independence !" And how, I ask, does it
betray a want of independence to advocate a sentiment or
a measure, opposed by a large majority of those in whose
fellowship and favor we are most interested 1 Truly, this
is a strange imputation ! Ah, sir ! it is not always that
those who accuse others of the want of independence, have
been found up to the mark themselves when the occasion
has called for it.

3. Here comes another item, a pretty heavy one, belong-
ing to the same family. " But this cannot be while there
are so many amongst us, who, for the sake of popularity,
some of them at least, with other sects and the world, or
from some other cause, are disposed to speculate on divine
truth," &c., " and draw inferences from premises nowhere
found but in their own inventive imaginations," &;c., and who
'' torture their ingenuity to deduce laws for his kingdom,
to sanction," — mark this now ! " to sanction their spirit of
accommodation to the whims of religionists, belonging to,
or wishing to joui Pedobaptist churches." A notable sen-
tence, this, truly !

Now I suppose the qualifying expression, " some of
them at least," was thro^vn in by the way, to soften the
sweeping denunciation in the extended sentence, a part of
which only I have quoted. It does not, however, answer
this object. It serves only to dislocate the structure of the

THE QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM. 451

sentence, which, taken as a whole, suffers not one of us to
escape. 1 looked to see if there was any hope for myself.
There is none. I am necessarily included among the
" some of them at least," or the " so many amongst us ;"
and it will be seen, by a little attention, that the lot of the
two classes is just about the same. Well ! this is not the
first time I have had to thank God that he has not left my
case to be decided by man's judgment, even by that of a
good man !

" For the sake of popularity, with other sects and the
world !" Now, as to the world, they care nothing about
the issue of this question ; and with regard to " other
sects," who can reasonably think it a popular course to
advocate the baptizing of their members, on the condition,
that they shall utterly renounce infant sprinkling ? When
this shall become popular with them, there will, methinks,
begin to be promising ground for a union amongst Chris-
tians. At any rate, be this as it may, the imputation
thrown on us here, and in that whole fulminating sentence,
is not in very harmonious keeping with an apostle's de-
scription of Christian charity. Here are two of the traits
in that description, for the consideration of our respected
brother : " Charity thinketh no evil !" — " Charity hopeth
all things." This, he will observe, is not the " misnamed
charity" of which he complains. With that spurious
thing, I, for my part, wish to have nothing to do : but give
me the lovely original of that bright picture which the
apostle has painted, with skill which only the Divine
Spirit could impart, and with a pencil " dipt in heaven."

In concluding this article, I have to say, that but for the
esteem in which I have long held this brother, both as a
Christian and a minister of the gospel, I should not have
bestowed all this attention upon the very exceptionable

452 THE QUERY CONCERNING BAPTISM.

parts of his communication, on which I have offered these
remarks ; — the more exceptionable, on account of the esti-
mation in wliich I have held the writer. Arguments I am
willing to meet ; but against illiberal imputations, espe-
cially from a brother, I do strongly protest. Nice weapons,
clean and sharp, if you please ; but let us have no mud,
brethren, I beseech you. Mud is a very disagreeable mis-
sile, even though it be thrown by the hand of one who
disavows all " unkindness," intending only to make it
manifest, that he " cannot subscribe to my opinion," nor
consent " to call me master."

Some remarks in the way of argument hereafter.

Grace, mercy and peace!

A. Broaddus.

€^t (CnsB nf 'Ktunu

Without admitting the appellation with which your cor-
respondent, " A Pigmy," has thought proper to honor me
in the Herald, an appellation which, by the way, he might
as well have omitted, I feel disposed, in deference to your
suggestion, and to the importance of the case, to offer some
remarks, which I earnestly desire may throw light on the
subject, and afford relief to those who may be personally
interested in the matter.

I could wish the circumstances of the case had been stated
by Xenoi a little more explicitly ; as I think it might thus
be treated in a more definite and satisfactory mamier,
than by an answer to the queries which are subjoined.

Your applicants, it seems, have been baptized, i. e.,
solemnly immersed, upon a conviction of the scriptural
requisition, and their consequent duty and privilege, as
believers in Jesus Christ. But in accomplishing this ob-
ject, there was, as I understand the matter, some irregu-
larity. And this irregularity, I take it for granted, was,
namely : that the series of baptisms was commenced by
an unbaptized individual ; for, so the statement seems to
imply. It says, that " after much serious consultation and
fervent prayer, it was unanimously resolved, that one of

454 THE CASE OF XENOT.

the Elders, being immersed, the work should go on," &c.
And the apology for this irregularity, appears to be the
non-existence of any Baptist church, of scriptural fliith,
" within their knowledge or reach." Thus, as I apprehend
it, stands the case ; and the question arising out of it is,
can these persons be considered as baptized with a valid
baptism, and received accordingly 1 This, it must be ad-
mitted, is an important matter, and one not to be settled
at a single stroke. It presents one of those difficulties
which irregularity is apt to involve ; yet it requires to be
settled, and in the best manner that circumstances will
admit.

Let us inquire, can any degree of irregularity be admit-
ted, in the performance of those divine ordinances, called
positive institutions, without destroying the validity of the
performance ?

Any deviation from the original plan, the divine model,
must be allowed, in such a case, to be dangerous ; and I
should say, that as positive institutions possess in them-
selves no intrinsic virtue, but derive their worth from the
authority and command of the institutor, a change in the
form or the subject of the institution must subvert the
ordinance, and render the performance nugatory. To which
I may add, that the same effect would follow, where the
action, on the part of the administrator or the subject,
should appear to have been performed in the spirit of
mockery, or without regard to the solemnity of the object.

Take, for instance, as it regards form and subject, the
ordinance of baptism, a positive institute. Christ says
" He that believeth and is baptized," &c. If you take one
who is confessedly an unbeliever, or one incapable of faith,
while Christ gives no such authority, you do, by changing
the subject, radically change the ordinance, and destroy the

THE CASE OF XENOI. 455

validity of the performance. Further : Christ says, " bap-
tizing them," &c., i. e., immersing them. If you sprinkle
or pour a little water on the subject, you change the
form, and the form is here the thing itself; and so again
you radically change the ordinance : it is not baptism :
you might as well attempt to prove that a triangle is a
circle.

Again; take, for instance, as it regards the spirit in
which the action appears to be performed, the ordinance of
the Lord's Supper. The Corinthians, or many of them,
celebrated this solemnity in an irreverent manner ; and the
apostle tells them, " this is not to eat the Lord's Supper."
They perverted the great object of the institution, and
rendered the performance worse than nugatory.

But the question recurs : Can any degree of irregularity
be admitted, in the performance of a positive institution,
without destroying the validity of the performance ? I
would now answer, that in some cases, the subject, the
form, and the solemnity of the object being all observed,
some degree of irregularity may be excused. If, indeed,
the plain, expressed will of Christ cannot be complied
with, I would have no substitute ; he does not require im-
possibilities ; and to put a thing of human invention, in
any case whatever, in the place of a positive institute, is a
gratuitous offering which he will reject. But if the irregu-
larity consist in mere circumstances, not radically affecting
the ordinance itself, it may, according to my view, be ex-
cused, and the performance be deemed valid — the difficulty
of the case being considered as an apology for the want of
a more regular observance of circumstances.

Now, to the particular case before us. The plea of dif-
ficulty here urged, I take it for granted, is a reasonable
one ; and the irregularity, as before presumed, consists in

456 THE CASE OF XENOI.

the commencement of the series of baptisms by an imbap
tized — perhaps an unordained individual. But it was all
done upon solemn conviction of divine requirement, upon
profession of evangelical faith ; and in due form, accord-
ing to Christ's expressed will as to the action. Does the
apparent defect in the circumstances here stated, invalidate
the baptism ? I am persuaded it does not.

I will not plead as a precedent, the case of the baptism
of Roger Williams, and his congregation in Rhode Island ,
from whom many of the Baptists of this country have
sprung ; if that was wrong, it cannot make this right.*
Nor am I disposed to deny, that baptizers in the apostle's
days were all baptized persons ; though, by the way, the
first baptizer was not so ; but this is to be admitted rather
as a matter of course, all believers being then baptized
straightway ; — that is, where it could be done. It ought
to be so now ; and in that case, there would probably have
been here no difficulty. The baptizer who commenced this
operation, ought himself to have been baptized before this
period ; but it does not follow, that because he was not bap-
tized, and now perhaps could not be, that therefore he
ought not, under existing circumstances, to have engaged in
this work. George Whitefield, who was a Pedobaptist, and
never baptized, ought to have been baptized before he went
forth to preach ; he might have been too, if he would ; and
yet I should be loath to say, that George Whitefield,
though he ought to have been baptized, ought not to have
preached at all, unless he had been baptized. And so of
many others.

The baptizer ought himself to be previously baptized.
This is readily admitted ; and though for anything that

* Is it certain that many of the Baptists of this country have
sprung from Roger Williams 1 I think not. — Ed.

THE CASE OF XENOI. 457

appears to the contrary, the obligation lies on him rather
in the character of a believer, than in that of an adminis
trator, I would be far from sanctioning the practice of bap-
tizing by an unbaptized administrator, where the nature of
the case does not render it necessary. The conduct of
some Pedobaptists, both on the part of the administrator
and the subject, presents an anomaly which can neither be
justified nor excused ; — the subject submitting to be im-
mersed by an unbaptized administrator, who has no faith
in the act !

With regard to any defect on the score of ordination, I
would say, it does not appear clear to me, that the validity
of baptism depends, under any circumstances, upon what
we term ordination ; I mean, ordination to the office of
bishop or evangelist. That the Lord's Supper may be duly
celebrated without the presence of such a minister, I have
no question ; and I am much disposed to think that we
should contravene no authority, by appointing a deacon, or
any other grave and godly member of the church, to the
work of baptizing.

If the case of your applicant is embraced in these re-
marks, it seems to me unnecessary to go into a discussion
of the queries subjoined to the statement of Xenoi. If,
however, there should be anything in any of those queries
involving the case, and not herein satisfactorily noticed, 1
would willingly, upon its being pointed out, lend my aid?
as far as I am able, towards a solution of the difficulty.

These remarks, in which I have aimed at much plain-
ness and simplicity, are affectionately submitted to the at-
tention of all concerned, with an earnest wish, that as far
as consistent with divine truth, the Head of the Church
may attend them with his blessing.

Andrew Broaddus.
20

Itrirt (Cnmmttniaii.

No. I.

A COMMUNICATION iu the Herald, No. 22, on " the Lord's
Supper," from the pen of my much esteemed young friend
" Pike Powers," whom I had the honor and the pleasure of
baptizing, has excited my special notice ; and there seems?
in your estimation, as well as in my own, to be some obli-
gation resting on me, to offer a few remarks by way of
reply. A very long dissertation would be unsuitable for
the columns of a common periodical, and I must beg to
refer your correspondent, as w^ell as others who may be
interested in this subject, to the admirable answer of J. G.
Fuller to Robert Hall. As my friend has probably read
Hall's " Reasons for Christian Communion," I would
earnestly and affectionately urge the propriety of his at-
tentive perusal of Fuller in reply.

The production above noticed, is, in the main, written

* Mr. Pike Powers, to whom these two articles are particularly
addressed, is distinguished as the teacher of a classical and mathe-
matical school, of a very high order, in the western part of Vir-
ginia.— Ed.

STRICT COMMUNION. 459

with that ingenuity, and that temper, which I should expect
from the talents and the Christian spirit of the writer ;
and, for the space which he occupies, he appears to have
done as much justice to his view of the subject as could
reasonably have been expected. But that his view is a
mistaken, an erroneous one, I am well persuaded ; nor do
I despair of making it appear so, in the course of the re-
view which I here undertake.

Intending the present article as merely introductory to
a subsequent communication, I shall here notice but one of
the arguments brought forward, and standing toward the
latter part of the essay. I choose to encounter this at the
outset. It is that popular argument, that " exclusive com-
munion is contrary to the feelings of our own hearts ; or,
more properly, perhaps," adds the writer, " to the secret
workings of our own consciences." He admits that " the
feelings of the heart may be prompted by prejudice or
natural affection," and so, of course, that we might be mis-
led by them. And I, on my part, will freely concede, that
the feelings of the heart, when regulated by a rightly in-
formed judgment, deserve to be highly estimated. My
young friend thinks, that the feelings which may have been
experienced by a Baptist himself, for instance, at a Pedo-
baptist communion, the " painful desire to unite with them
in that feast of love and sorrow," and the " agony" of
having " to turn his back upon those who love the Lord,
and upon his sacred table," must be " the genuine impulses
of a regenerate heart."

That such feelmgs may proceed from a regenerate heart,
I have no doubt ; but that they are the genuine impulses
of such a heart, I can, by no means, so readily admit. Why
must they be viewed in this light 1 I suppose, because
they are religious feelings — strong religious feelings, and

460 STRICT COMMUNION.

therefore proceed from a religious principle ; they must
therefore be genuine intimations of what is right. Now,
this intelligent brother must know, if he will reflect, that
religious prmciples may be improperly put into action.
He admits that " the feelings of the heart may be prompted
by prejudice or natural affection ;" and, I add, by erroneous
views of any particular object, as well as by correct views :
and if the object which stirs the feelings be of a religious
character, it is no wonder if the feelings partake of that
character ; and according as the mind is persuaded, will
the feelings operate. Nay, conscience itself is modified by
the persuasion of the mind ; — like the bodily sense of feel-
ing, it is capable of a morbid as well as a healthy action,
and is no farther a correct guide, than as it is prompted by
correct information.

Apart, therefore, from the question, whether mixed com-
munion accords with the New Testament, we have nothing
to do with the feelings as a criterion. Our feelings, how-
ever, ought to be rightly trained ; and we should remem-
ber, that how pleasing soever it might be, for all the lovers
of Christ to commune together at his table, and pleasing
surely it would be, on scriptural terms, we must never
consent to lose that feeling which arises from a conscious-
ness that we are maintaining the ground which our Master
has assigned to us.

This is a matter which, I am aware, is calculated to make
its appeal to the feelings : and in the course of my pilgrim-
age, my own mind, from the influence of this appeal, has
oscillated on the question of communion. I have expe-
rienced some touches of those impulses to which my good
brother alludes. But upon a serious, and, I trust, a candid
consideration of the subject,! am well persuaded that strict
communion is according to the scripture plan, and that ex-

STRICT COMMUNION. 461

pediency is in its favor : and with no less love to my pious
Pedobaptist brethren, and, I trust, with no more bigotry
than at the seasons alluded to, I could now witness a Pedo-
baptist communion, without any compunctious visitings of
conscience, and with no other distress of feelings, than
what might arise from the fact, that these good people
will keep a barrier, by adhering to the human tradition of
infant sprinkling. They do themselves, generally, at least
maintain baptism to be requisite to communion : so do I.
They have their views of baptism : I have mine. They
admit, as well they may, that my baptism is valid : I can-
not concede the same to theirs. Here I stand, and invite
and beseech them to remove the barrier, by yielding to
the scriptural baptism. Let us be faithful witnesses for
the truth, and it will yet be done.

Before dismissing this particular point about feelings,
and closing this introductory number, I wish to illustrate
my remarks by a case analogous to that which our brother
has stated.

Some years ago, when infant baptism had a more power-
ful sway over the minds of many than it now has, a
gentleman and his wife, who had been raised Pedobaptists,
had an unbaptized infant taken dangerously ill. Under the
impression that baptism might be requisite to secure the
salvation of the infant, " the feelings of their hearts, or the
secret workings of their consciences," prompted them to
send off for the priest to perform the necessary office.
The increasing illness of the little one excited " painful
desires" for the arrival of the parson, — desires wrought up
to "agony," under the apprehension of its death. Query:
Were these feelings " the genuine impulses of regenerate
hearts f Brother Powers will hardly think so.

In my subsequent communication, I shall attend to the

462 STRICT COMMUNION.

arguments, as they are stated, in their two-fold divisions ;
and here I close the present article, with my earnest wishes
that brother P. and all of us may be led into all the truth.

A. Broaddus.

No. II.

I now proceed, as proposed, with my review of the argu-
ments of my young friend and brother, " Pike Powers,"
against the practice of strict communion, as brought for-
ward in his communication on the Lord's Supper.

He examines the arguments for strict communion, as
drawn from the commission of our Lord to his apostles,
and from the practice of the apostles themselves ; and
under this two-fold division I shall proceed with the
subject.

The commission is in these words : — " Go, teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you."

Now, our brother seems to think, that the order of the
words in the commission, forms the only argument under
this division of the subject, in favor of baptism as a pre-
requisite to the supper. Let us hear him on this point.
" Now, say the advocates for strict communion, as the
things to be observed are mentioned after baptism, and as
the celebration of the Lord's Supper is included among
them, therefore, those only can be fit to partake of the
supper, to whom baptism has been previously and properly
administered." This argument, which he considers a very
futile one, he proceeds to demolish in the following man-
ner : — " If a master bid his servant to perform certain

STRICT COMMUNION. 46S

duties in a certain order, does a failure to perform the first,
cancel the obligation of the remainder ? Certainly not,
unless the first is in its nature a pre-requisite to the rest,
or be made such by an explicit declaration ; and then the
dependence in question will no longer result from the order
of injunction."

This, it must be owned, looks quite plausible ; but let
us enter a little further into this matter.

Our brother admits, in a subsequent paragraph, " that
baptism was intended by the Saviour to precede the sacra-
ment, (the supper,) as well as Christian instruction ;" and
he strenuously and justly maintains, that faith must precede
baptism. This, then, was the original order : first, faith,
then baptism, then instruction in all other Christian duties
and exercises ; and this, it will be admitted, is the order
that ought still to be followed. Yes, says my friend, but
it has become disarranged ; and shall the delinquency of
our pious Pedobaptist brethren, in regard to baptism, cut
them off from all Christian privileges 1 For, " if baptism
be a pre-requisite to communion, it is equally a pre-requi-
site to any Christian exercise, or instruction in any Chris-
tian duty." This, it will presently appear, does not follow.
We cannot, indeed, urge all Christian duties on any^but the
baptized ; such duties, namely, as belong peculiarly to the
Church ; but there are duties, numerous and important, which
may, with propriety, be inculcated on all Christians.

" I know very well," says brother P., " that the Baptists
do not carry out their reasoning to the legitimate extent
which I have here given it." Not so legitimate, brother P.,
as you may think. " I know," he adds, " that many of them
will gladly unite with Pedobaptists in every Christian
exercise;" he ought to have added, "not involving the
peculiar exercises of the Church," " and will give them the

464 STRICT COMMUNION.

same admonitions, encouragements, and instructions, which
they give to Baptists. But how they separate these things
from the sacrament, (the supper,) or restrict to apart that
which belongs to the whole, 1 cannot tell." Well, then,
my good fellow, I will endeavor to tell you something
on this point. We are now coming to the issue of the
question.

The order I have stated is admitted to be the scriptural
order : first, faith, then baptism, then instruction in all
other duties and Christian exercises. But there is a de-
linquency in regard to baptism, and how does this affect
the Lord's Supper, more than any other Christian exer-
cise'?

Now, if it shall appear that there is any special connection
between baptism and the supper — a connection which has
not the same bearing on all the other Christian duties or
exercises, I should suppose that my brother's difficulty
ought to be solved : and that there is such a connection, is
to me entirely obvious.

I take it for granted that there is no proper scriptural
church-membership without baptism. Let me not be
accused of illiberality : this position, the most eminent
Pedobaptist writers generally maintain. It ought also to
be granted, that the Lord's Supper is a church ordinance .
for in no other capacity, in the New Testament, do we
ever find it celebrated ; and the character given of it goes
clearly to make it manifest. What conclusion now fol-
lows, from these two positions, but that baptism is essen-
tial to a scriptural celebration of the Lord's Supper ?

According to the second position above stated, the sacred
supper, along with some other exercises, is peculiar to the
Church of Christ, in its church capacity. Now, the same
cannot properly be said of a number of other Christian

STRICT COMMUNION. 465

duties. Prayer, singing the praise of God, proclaiming
the great truths of religion, diffusing the knowledge of
Christ, and doing good, as we can, to the souls and bodies
of the human family — these are duties independent of bap-
tism, or the institution of Christian churches : and there-
fore, in such operations and exercises, w^e can consistently
unite with Christians, whether they are baptized or not.
Brother Powers will please mark the difference here pointed
out, and recollect that there are duties and privileges which,
probably, he would himself admit to be peculiar to a
church relation ; such as receiving and excluding members,
voting on questions of discipline, electing deacons, and
choosing a pastor : and so he will see, that he must dis-
criminate as well as the rest of us. The nature of the
case makes the difference.

There is another argument on this point, nearly akin to
that which has first been brought forward. It is this : The
priority of baptism to the supper of the Lord, as well as
to all duties and exercises peculiar to the Church, appears,
from the very nature of the case, to be the natural order.

Baptism is the divinely appointed mode of entering
visibly into that new relation to Christ, which is recognized
in church-fellowship. Surely then, it stands naturally and
properly at the commencement of that relation ; and ap-
pears thus to occupy its place before the celebration of the
supper, and the performance of other duties peculiar to a
church-relation, as faith naturally and properly occupies its
place previous to baptism. " The priority, therefore, of
baptism to the supper," as Fuller observes, " is founded no
less in the nature of things, than in the uniform repre-
sentations of scripture, whether in relation to the Christian
commission, or to the undeviating practice of the first and
purest age of the Christian Church."
20^

466 STRICT COMMUNION.

" It would be difficult," says brother Powers, " to show
from the nature of baptism and communion, any absurdity
or impropriety in administering the latter to a Christian,
who, from unintentional mistake, has failed in the observ-
ance of the former." The view which we have just taken
of the matter, may, it is hoped, conduce to a solution of
this difficulty.

" The argument from the practice of the apostles" is next
considered. And here brother P. admits, that " there were
no unbaptized Christians in those days." Of course, bap-
tism came, in the order of things, before the Lord's Sup-
per. And why, let me ask by the way, were there no un-
baptized Christians in those days ? Brother P. seems to
account for it by saying, that "as the apostles were endued
with power to attest by miracles the truth of their mission
and the divine origin of their doctrines, we cannot believe
there were any such, unless we call them Christians, who
would perversely and obstinately set themselves against
God's known w^ill." And have we not now the means, in
the New Testament, of knowing the will of God, in regard
to his institutions ? Or has the lapse of time too much
weakened the evidence or obscured the truth 1

But, "there is a class of Christians existing now,"
says brother P., "which did not exist in the days of
the apostles ; and as the practice of the apostles, with
respect to the communion, does not include them, it can-
not be our guide in their case. This," he adds, " is so
plain a principle that it need not be dwelt on." Yes,
brother P., it needs to be dwelt on a little. The question
seems to be, What is to be done in the case of these un-
baptized Christians 1 Brother P. can see no medium be-
tween treating them " as rebellious and impenitent sin-
ners," on the one hand, or communing with them at the
Lord's table, on the other. But there is a medium, and

STRICT COMMUNION. 467

one that is consistent with Christian charity on the one
hand, and a faithful adherence to the order of the Lord's
house, on the other. We can recognize them as Christians,
whose minds are warped by an unhappy prejudice ; and
we can unite with them, as far as we may deem it expe-
dient, in those exercises which do not necessarily involve
church-fellowship. But we cannot agree to violate the
scriptural constitution of our churches, in deference to the
erring consciences of persons who substitute a human
ceremony for a divine ordinance, — infant sprinkling for be-
lievers' baptism. And here, let me observe, it is not for
the want of Christian regard towards pious Pedobaptists,
that we pursue this course, but because we cannot agree to
show a greater regard to Christians than to Christ.

Brother P. goes on to say, " If the example of the
apostles in excluding all the unbaptized from the sacra-
ment and from Christian instruction, ought to be the guide
of Christians in all ages, then the epistles, which are chiefly
taken up in teaching the things that Christ commanded,
are addressed to Baptists only ; they are exclusively Bap-
tist property," &c. They were addressed to Baptists only,
by our brother's own showing ; yet I do by no means
maintain, nor even admit, that Baptists only ought to at-
tend to the sacred instructions, admonitions, and encour-
agements, contained in these apostolic letters. Many
things in them are applicable to the case of the unconvert-
ed ; and many more to all who profess to be followers of
Christ. But that there are some things in the epistles
which none but Baptists can appropriate, I dare say our
brother must admit. What does he think, for instance, of
such an address as this, Rom. vi. 3, 4 : " Know ye not
that so many of us as were baptized into Christ were bap-
tized into his death ? Therefore, we are buried with him

468 STRICT COMMUNION.

by baptism into death," &c. I suppose this must be " ex
clusively Baptist property." But the fact is, that many
of the apostolic instructions, precepts, &;c., 1 might say
the great body of them, do not depend on baptism, and
are applicable to Christians — to all Christians, whether
baptized or not.

" There are," says brother Powers, " certain general
principles laid down by the apostles, which are manifestly
applicable to the question in hand." And, as a case in
point, he quotes Rom. xiv. 3 : — " Let not him that eateth
despise him that eateth not ; and let not him that eateth
not, judge him that eateth ; for God hath received him."
This seems to be the strong-ground of the advocates among
the Baptists for mixed communion. To the same purpose,
Rom. XV. l,is brought forward : " We then that are strong
ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please
ourselves." Now, it is contended, that the principle here
presented by the apostle, as a reason for receiving the
weak brother, applies to the case in hand— the receiving of
Pedobaptists, or mingling with them in communion : " for
God hath received him." In a word, that it applies in the
case of all " whose errors do not disable them from being
good Christians." " Has God received our Pedobaptist
brethren f asks brother P. — " if he has, then ought we to
receive them, even as Christ hath received us to the glory
of God."

This is a brief statement of the argument ; and it ap-
pears, indeed, with an imposing aspect ; but let us try if it
will stand the test of examination. I greatly mistake, if it
■ shall not be found to fail.

I say then, the cases are by no means analogous. In

" case alluded to by the apostle, there was danger of a
*n the Church about the old abrogated law concern-

STRICT COMMUNION. 469

ing meats, &c. The Jewish Christian, the scrupulous
brother, who through weakness adhered to these old cere-
monies, might probably be despised by the Gentile con_
vert, the stronger brother, who was free from this prejudice .
while the Gentile might be judged by the Jew, for what
appeared to him an unwarrantable liberty. The Gentile
had a right to his Christian liberty, and the Jew might be
allowed to act in conformity with his scruples : for, be it
observed, the matter m question was really a matter of in-
difference: and both parties, (mark this well, brother P.)
both parties were advised, each not to disturb the other, by
attempting to impose their respective and peculiar views.
Nay, more than this, if the exercise of this Christian liberty,
by the strong, should be found to be a stumbling-block, an
occasion to fall, a grief to the weak, in that case the
apostle urges a sacrifice of personal indulgence to Christian
charity. And thus you have the true bearing of Rom. xv.
1 : " We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmi-
ties of the weak, and 7iot to please ourselves.'''' See Rom
xiv. throughout, and seven verses in chapter xv.

Now, with an eye to these remarks^ let us see how the
case will apply.

Is baptism, that prominent injunction of Christ, to be
considered a matter of indifference^ and ranked amongst
abrogated Jewish ceremonies 1 Surely not. Brother P.
w^ill not say so. Again ; are we to avoid presenting our
own peculiar views of baptism, and even pressing the sub-
ject on others, lest we disturb their minds, and make a
breach in Christian harmony ? We are defective in press-
ing this subject, even noiv ; and if this plan were adopted,
we should probably, in deference to the feelings of others,
find it requisite to be very reserved. Once more : are we
to make a sacrifice even of Christian baptism, if it should

470 STRICT COMMUNION.

be deemed to be a stumbling-block, or a grief, or an offence
to our Pedobaptist brethren 1 This, the aoialogy would
certainly require : but for this, brother P. himself, it is pre-
sumed, is by no means prepared. The cases are not analo-
gous. The apostolic case respects matters of indifference :
this case involves a plain and prominent command of
Christ : and it appears to be a gratuitous assumption — a
deduction not warranted by the case referred to, to say,
that from the abstract consideration of the Christianity of
Pedobaptists, we ought to unite in communion at the table
of the Lord.

Well, but the principle — " God hath received him." Ay,
the princip)le : it applies, undoubtedly, to the case alluded
to by the apostle ; and when any one can make it appear,
that the principle is of universal application, that is, to all
who appear to be received of God, we shall admit the
force of the argument. The only authorized construction
seems to be this : If there be good evidence that God
hath received a person, let no peculiarity, in a matter of
indifference, or a matter which goes not to make void a
command of Christ, interrupt our fellowship in the Church.
This method of reasoning and inferring, from broad princi-
ples, in reference to positive institutio7is, is a course which
will be found of dangerous tendency.

I have another remark to offer on this point. If the
argument from this principle proves the propriety of re-
ceiving Pedobaptists into communion at the Lord^s table,
it does unquestionably prove the propriety of receiving
them as members of the Church in full. For, let it be ob-
served, both parties, in the case referred to, were already
members of the Church ; and the apostle mentions nothing
of the Lord's Supper, nor any distinction as to church pri-
vileges. The same principle, therefore, which receives the

STRICT COMMUNION. 471

weak brother to one church-privilege, receives him to ano-
ther, to any, to all. This is so obvious, that I think, to
use the language of my friend, " it need not be dwelt on."
Nay, will not the practice of mixed communion legiti-
mately lead to mixed membership *? That great man,
Eobert Hall, the champion for mixed communion, seems
to have been consistent with himself at least, in being
also the advocate for mixed membership. At any rate,
the principle of mixed communion, carried out, will issue
in a dilemma which may well cause us to distrust its
soundness, apart from the more direct arguments against
it, drawn from the New Testament. Let me illustrate
this point.

A member of a Baptist church becomes a Pedobaptist,
(a rare case, I admit,) and has his children sprinkled —
shall he be excluded or not ? If you exclude him, still on
the principle of mixed communion, you must, perhaps
the exact day, invite him to a seat with you at the Lord's
table. And thus you present the glaring absurdity of
communing, in church fellowship, with an excommunicated
person — the strange inconsistency of receiving him to the
higher church privilege, and denying to him the privileges
of inferior import. If you would not exclude him, then
one Pedobaptist being retained, others may be admitted ;
and, as members of the church, entitled to its privileges,
they have the right of suffrage ; and the doors thus thrown
open, Pedobaptist interest might eventually predomhiate,
and every measure, even the choice of a pastor, might
be carried by that influence ! This case has actually been
exemplified. The church of the eminent John Bunyan,
who was a mixed communion Baptist, and zealous in that
cause, had, after his death, a succession of Pedobaptist
pastors for one hundred years. And when, at last, one

472 STRICT COMMUNION.

of them became a Baptist, he was retained " on the con-
dition that he should not introduce a controversy into the
pulpit, nor into conversation, unless it was first mentioned
by others." What a compromise ! But such, by the
way, was the fruit of mixed communion and mixed mem-
bership.

" It w^as, no doubt," says brother P., " in compliance with
this principle, that Paul circumcised Timothy," &c. Not
in compliance with that sweeping principle which would
implicate a command of Christ, circumcision was an abro-
gated ceremony ; it might be performed at that time, but
was wholly unnecessary, except by way of expediency. Not
so with respect to baptism. In my youthful days, when
the question of baptism was more frequently and warmly
debated, some of our good Pedobaptist preachers, as I re-
member, were fond of quoting against the Baptists, 1 Cor.
vii. xix., and Gal. v. 6 : " Circumcision is nothing, and un-
circumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the command-
ments of God." "For in Jesus Christ neither circum-
cision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith
which w^orketh by love." They seemed to have forgotten
that baptism was one of " the commandments of God,"
and that " faith, working by love," ought to prompt to " the
keeping" of it. But substituting baptism for circumcision
— thus throwing it into the common mass of trivial cere-
monies, the apostle was made to speak for them, hand-
somely and effectually !

But a serious charge, it seems, lies against us for not
following out this principle, and receiving our Pedobaptist
brethren into communion. " We thereby virtually say
to them, you have no interest in the Saviour ; you have
not been benefited by his death, and ought not to comme-
morate it." No, my dear sir, we only say to them, that

STRICT COMMUNION.

473

we are moved to pursue the course of restricted commu-
nion, from a persuasion that such is the New Testament
plan, the scriptural order of the Lord's Supper. We
avow this to be our motive, and not a want of Christian
charity and fraternal love for other Christians. And some
Pedobaptists, it is pleasing to remark, have the light and
the candor to appreciate the motive. " At a Baptist mis-
sionary station, in the East Indies, a Pedobaptist mission-
ary, unexpectedly present, was invited to preach. He
accepted ; and after the service, it being ordinance day, he
was respectfully reminded that the church considered bap-
tism a term of communion. How did he act 1 Did he
turn upon his heel, and raise a dust and a whirlwind about
bigotry, and little punctilios, and intolerance ? No ; he
understood the principle, and his reply was : I cannot
blame you ; I have always thought the contrary practice
unjustifiable in Baptists." In this there was a nobility of
spirit. He knew that his people could not, any more than we,
consistently admit a pious Quaker to the communion of
the supper, (should he be so disposed,) though " God has
received him ;" that the question as to the supper actually
turns on the baptismal point.

This has been admitted to be the foct, almost univer-
sally, till within a few years past. The writings of the
celebrated Robert Hall on this subject, have induced some
to shift the ground, and now with such baptism is put out
of the question ; or, at least, it is deemed sufficient, if a
person conscientiously believes he has been baptized.

My friend Pike, if I understand rightly, thinks that if a
person be not disqualified by his errors for the kingdom
of heaven, (meaning the heavenly felicity,) he cannot be
disqualified for a reception by us. This is a popular plea,
but is, I take it, a mistake ; and in the question before us,

474 STRICT COMMUNION.

a radical one. We may be allowed to hope, that millions
of infants, and numbers of idiots, may be joined to the
family above ; but neither of these classes is fit to be
members of the church, or subjects of baptism. The
church on earth was probably designed to be as nearly
conformed to the heavenly church as the nature of things
will admit ; but the economy of the latter is doubtless,
in some respects, different from that of the former, and
the model given for eai'th is our model, not that which
God has laid down for^his own economy in the heavenly
state. About that we know but little, and we should re-
member that " secret things belong to God ; those which
are revealed to us and to our children." When we get to
heaven, brother P., we will do as they do in heaven.

Now comes the last argument. "Finally," says my
friend, " the whole question may be reduced to this simple
statement : Pedobaptist Christians are either fit to cele-
brate the Lord's Supper, or they are not ; it is either the
performance of a duty in them to do so, or it is a sin. If
we take the former alternative, we cannot, with any reason,
exclude them from our communion," &c. " If we choose
the latter alternative, Ave must, in consistency, debar them
from all the privileges, and teach them none of the duties
peculiar to Christians," &;c.

Now, the consequence attached to this latter alternative
does not follow, for we have seen that there are Christian
duties which appertain to all Christians ; even all those
duties which are not peculiar to church relation. But still
we may be pressed with the question : " Are Pedobaptist
Christians fit to celebrate the Lord's Supper, or are they
not 1 Is it a duty in them to do so, or is it a sin V Now
I do not know that we are bound to become casuists for
our Pedobaptist friends in this case. We decide, indeed,

STRICT COMMUNION. 475

without hesitation, that a believer in Christ is a fit subject
for baptism ; for, on that point, there can be no doubt ;
but here the case is different. Nevertheless, take the fol-
lowing reply : I dare not say that an unbaptized person,
one who either rejects the ordinance altogether, or receives
a human tradition as its substitute — one who does not
comply with that divine institution, which is obviously re-
quisite to an admittance into the visible kingdom ; I can-
not say that such a person (a pious Christian though he
may be) is fully, properly, scripturally qualified, to sit
down at the Lord's table, and partake of the supper. Yet
it may be the duty of pious, conscientious Pedobaptists,
to celebrate the Lord's Supper, as every man must act on
his own principles : and, for aught I know, Christ may
bless them in showing forth his death, though in error. It
does not follow, however, that we must desert our princi-
ples, in order to unite with them, nor that our Lord would
bless us in so doing. This is my reply, and herein I am,
by no means, more strict than the great mass of Pedo-
baptist writers, who maintain that baptism (according to
their view of it) is a scriptural pre-requisite to the parti-
cipation of the Lord's Supper.

I had it in contemplation to add to this review some no-
tice of the consequences on which we might calculate,
from the adoption of what has been termed the liberal
system ; but the unexpected length to which this commu-
nication has extended, will allow only a few brief re-
marks.

My calculation, as to the result of such a plan, would,
I own, be the very reverse of what the sanguine advocates
of mixed communion amongst us seem to anticipate. I
am persuaded it would be " for the worse, and not for the
better."

476 STRICT COMMUNION.

Too careless, too neutral, as some of us are, in regard
to the first solemn and important gospel ordinance, the
force of truth is yet sensibly felt, and the scriptural bap-
tism has, for some time past, been gaining ground with
most of the sects of the Pedobaptist denomination. Now,
the tendency of this " liberal plan" would obviously be,
to lessen the importance of the institution, and thus to
weaken the force of that testimony on its behalf, which
hitherto we have borne, though rather too feebly ; and
which, with increased energy, it behooves us still to
bear.

Again ; although some of the modern advocates for
mixed communion have taken new ground in the argu-
ment, and contended for communion in the supper with
those whom they considered unbaptized, the general and
just persuasion still remains, that baptism is a scriptural
pre-requisite ; and thus the " liberal plan" would seem to
look mth a favorable aspect on infant baptism, and would
be considered as lending countenance to its validity.
Sooner would I countenance no baptism at all, (and I in-
tend no reflection in this,) than that institution, which,
among other evils, necessarily amalgamates the church
and the world. Our Pedobaptist friends, in order to dis-
criminate, are compelled to have a church within their
church.

Once more : the " liberal plan," carried to any consider-
able extent, would introduce either unpleasant heart-
burnings, on the one hand, or, on the other, a compromise
in regard to baptism, which must pretty effectually close
our lips on that subject. Experience has testified to the
truth of this remark. In England, where, in some in-
stances, mixed communion and mixed membership have
been introduced, the pastor has found himself placed be-

STRICT COMMUNION. 477

tween two fires, and has been compelled to leave the
church. Or, where Pedobaptist influence had gained the
predominance, the shameful compromise has been made,
and an embargo laid on the preacher's tongue !

To conclude : As a denomination, with all our defects,
(and heaven knows they are humiliating enough !) we
have been, under God, through all the changes and for-
tunes which Christendom has experienced, the conservators
of " the ordinances, as they were delivered ;" the only
people who have maintained the primitive constitution of
the Church, as distinct from the world. Let us stand to
our post, and continue to bear our testimony. Infant
sprinkling must yield to believers' baptism. And when
our pious, evangelical Pedobaptist brethren shall give up
that human tradition — that relic of popery — and the Chris-
tian Church, among all pious Protestants, shall arise on
her proper basis — it will probably be found that we shall
be more ready to extend the hand of church-fellowship
over any little differences with respect to church-govern-
ment, &c., than Pedobaptists have heretofore been with
regard to one another. We challenge, nay, rather, we
invite them to the trial. Then, indeed, will the church be
like " an army with banners." May the King of Zion

hasten that desirable period !

A. Broaddus.

Uihlirnl (CritiriHUi

TO ONOMA.
No. I.

I OWE you an apology, my dear sir, for an appearance
of delay, in not replying to your queries in the Herald,
(No. 11,) at an earlier date. A subject, which, in my es-
timation, is a deeply interesting one, having, for some
little time past, engaged my attention, I could not well
call off my thoughts to any other matter till that was dis-
posed of. Some other things also have been in the way.

With much respect to the source whence these queries
originate, I now proceed to notice them in order. It
might be added, that I proceed to this task with pleasure ;
but the pleasure, I must own, is in no small degree
alloyed, by the consciousness of some considerable diffi-
culty, in effecting in every case a full and satisfactory so-
lution. I could wish that the task with which you have
thought proper to honor me, had been one which I could
feel myself more competent to perform ; but it so hap-
pens, I suppose, that on points of more easy solution, you
would, perhaps, fuid but little difficulty. Without further

* "Onoma:" The Rev. Robert Ryland, President of Richmond
College, Va.— Ed.

BIBLICAL CRITICISM. 479

preface, however, let me proceed to say what I can on the
pomts proposed.

As an mtroduction to your first mquiry, I will here
quote the passage to which you refer. Rom. i. 3, 4 : " His
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of
David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son
of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by
the resurrection from the dead."

On this passage you incjuire, " Is the expression, ' ac-
cording to the flesh' and ' according to the spirit of holi-
ness,' a climax or an antithesis V

Such a sentence as the above quoted, might possibly be
considered as partaking of the nature of both these
figures ; but it is, I presume, the prevailing character
which we are to seek for, and this will depend on the true
construction, or meaning, of this passage.

If the apostle here designed to view the hu7iian and the
divine nature of Jesus Christ, then, I should say, it is to
be considered in the character of antithesis, or contrast ;
the conjunction and, which couples the two members of
the sentence, giving place to the conjunction but — a ren-
dering which it seems the original will as well bear. If
his intention, in the second expression, was only to repre-
sent a higher grade of character and dignity than had
been exhibited in the first, and appertaining to the same
nature, then the sentence seems to be more properly con-
sidered as a climax, or gradation.

On this question, after much thought, I must own that
I am far from being prepared to speak in confident terms ;
indeed, I have seldom found my judgment so disposed to
oscillate between two opinions ; and I have a great mind
to refer the matter back to you ; at any rate, I must re-
quest that you will say something on this point. -^ * *
* * So far I had proceeded, and had designed to state,

480 BIBLICAL CRITICISM.

in as condensed and lucid a manner as I could, what might
be said on each side of this question, even if I could offer
no conclusive opinion. And, indeed, I had actually done
so, filling nearly a page of letter-paper, closely written.
But, on a review of my statement, though in as clear a
manner as I could expect to render a criticism of this sort,
thinking it might perplex some readers, while it would
hardly furnish you with any new ideas on the subject, I
came to the conclusion to suppress it ; and accordingly I
have suppressed it. And here, my dear sir, I must dismiss
the first query, with this remark, however, (a consolation
in the midst of the perplexity of criticism,) that in any
view which I should take of the passage in question —
whether j)resenting antithesis or climax — whether in ac-
cordance with the view of Henry or Scott, (the two ex-
positors at hand,) or differing, perhaps, from both of them ;
I should consider the divine as well as the human nature
of our Lord, as being involved in the expressions, either
directly, or by consequence.

[JSToTE. — For some time past, I have felt a desire to jDrepare
for the Herald an essay — the result of my reflections on the
scriptural representations of the adorable Trinity, particularly
with reference to the person of the Son of God ; if haply the
humble effort might throw light on a profoundly mysterious
subject, and afford a little aid towards relieving that subject of
some of its difliculties.]

TO O N O M A .

No. II.

Let us see if the second query can fare any better than
the first.

" Does the phrase, " obedience to the faith among all
nations," Rom. i. 5, mean that the faith, i. e. the gospel,

BIBLICAL CRITICISM. 481

might be universally obeyed ; or, that the obedience
should be that of faith, springing from faith as the motive ?
The Greek is eis hupakoeen pisteosy

Well, well ! — here comes another question to be tried
in the balance, where the weights produce so near an
equipoise, that it seems difficult to say which scale pre-
ponderates. However, I do not despair of disposing of
this case, in a way that will be tolerably satisfactory to
myself, however it may be to you and others.

Let me quote the passage allifded to : " By whom (i. e.
by Christ) we have received grace and apostleship, for
obedience to the faith among all nations," &;c.

I will here state, in the first place, a canon or rule of
interpretation, which I have laid do^vn for myself in cases
of this sort, viz.: Where a word or phrase has that sort
of ambiguity in it, which renders it obviously capable of
two applications, nothing in the context forbidding, I
deem it proper to give the word or phrase both applica-
tions ; and the interpretation, I remark, is enriched by
such ambiguity. Example : Rom. v. 5 : " The love of
God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost,
which is given unto us. " The love of God" may here
be interpreted as a sense of God's love to us, or of our
love to God — rather of both — the one being an effect and
concomitant of the other. To go on with the rule of in-
terpretation : When there is anything in the word or
phrase, or in the context, or in the use of the term in other
places, to give precedence to one application, I would, of
course, assign the preference to that, even though both
should be admitted.

With this canon of interpretation before me, I would
say of the case proposed, that it appears to admit of either
construction, taking into consideration the Greek phrase,

482 BIBLICAL CRITICISM.

eis hupakoeen pisteos, though to me there does appear to
be some reason for preferring one of these constructions
to the other. In the import of the first mentioned con-
struction, which is favored by our translation, I see, in-
deed, nothing exceptionable ; " for obedience to the faith,"
i. e., to the gospel, " among all nations ;" the gospel being
obviously sometimes so termed ; as in Acts vi. 7, where
it is said, " a great company of the priests were obedient
to the faith." It does by no means follow, however, that
the same construction should be put on the term in the
passage under consideration. In that just quoted from
Acts vi. 7, it was necessary to render the expression as
we find it — '^ to the faith ;" the very structure of the sen-
tence obviously requiring it, and the word being in the
dative case — to pistei. But in the passage now before us,
the word being in the genitive case — pisteos, I do not
think it by any means strange, that several critics should
have rendered the phrase, " the obedience of faith," as it
actually is in the margin of our Bibles. In Rom. xvi. 26,
where the same Greek phrase occurs, it is rendered " for
the obedience of faith ;" and I cannot see why the marginal
reading (which to me sometimes appears the best) should
not here have been adopted into the text. Indeed, with
these considerations in view, I should not have reckoned
the passage in question among those which admit of
either this or that construction, were it not that the trans-
lators of the Bible have given it that rendering which we
find in the text. [Query : Is it not to be admitted, that
those great men, to whose labors, under God, the world
is so deeply indebted, sometimes translated under an un-
due influence from what they considered the import of the
passage '?]

After the remarks which have been offered, it is hardly

BICLICAL CRITICISM. 483

requisite for me to say, that I view the second construc-
tion which you have mentioned, as the preferable one,
and the rendering of the term in question accordingly :
^'■By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for
the obedience of faith among all nations ;" i. e., (as you
express it,) " obedience springing from faith as the mo-
tive." But now, while I am clear in preferring tliis ren-
dering and this construction to the other, permit me, at
the close of this discussion, to suggest a query to you :
Is it certain that the phrase, " the obedience of faith," is to
be limited in its meaning to the construction here given —
namely, " obedience springing from faith as the motive 1"
Or, as the act of faith itself seems to be eminently obedi-
ence to the gospel, (see Eom. x. 16,) may not this phrase,
"the obedience of faith," imply that obedience which
consists in the exercise or act of faith 1 It is a pleasing
consideration, my dear sir, that while certain portions of
scripture may appear, as they are turned about to present
different phrases, each view reflects some important truth
for our contemplation.

From the length of this communication, I think you
will readily excuse me for postponing the discussion of
the third query to another opportunity. In that discus-
sion I hope to have no occasion to be making remarks on
the Greek, about which I profess to know, and really
know, but very little. In the meantime, if for thus travel-
ing a little out of my sphere, I incur a satirical smile,
I shall, Adam-like, throw the blame on another ; let
my good friend, Onoma, be ready to answer for it.

With cordial Christian regard, &c.,

Andrew Broaddus.

(Cull tn tljB iCjjriBtian SSinistrti;

What may be considered as constituting a scriptural
call to the gospel ministry 1 The subject thus proposed,
appears to us to have an important bearing on the well-
being of our churches, and the prosperity of religion, and
to require, therefore, a proper view, and a corresponding
action.

To form a just solution of this query, is, indeed, highly
desirable ; inasmuch as, from the nature of the case, an
erroneous decision must be attended with injurious conse-
quences. An ignorant enthusiast, on the one hand, who
pertinaciously adheres to his notion of a divine call, will
endeavor to thrust himself on the church and the world,
confidently intruding where angels might tremble ; while,
on the other hand, an intelligent disciple, who is diffident
of his call to the ministry, will shrink from the undertak-
ing, fearful of running before he is sent. Such will be
the result, on the one hand and on the other, of a mis-
taken view of this matter.

The reality of a scriptural call — say, if you please, a di-
vine call, to the gospel ministry, ought not to be ques-
tioned, merely because the idea may have been abused, or

* This article was prepared by the Rev. Andrew Broaddus, as a
circular letter for the Dover Association, in 1838. — Ed.

CALL TO THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 485

mistaken views formed on that point. It may be made
satisfactorily to appear. Nor is it necessary, nor, indeed, is
it proper, in maintaining this point, to resort to that often
misapplied passage, Heb. v. 4 : " No man taketh this
honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was
Aaron" — a passage which (as the connection shows) is
referable, not to the gospel ministry, but solely to the
high priesthood. The fact that there is provision made
by the King of Zion, for the sure perpetuation of his
church on earth, and for the continuance of the gospel
ministry, goes to prove, as it necessarily involves, the re-
ality of a call to this important work in such a way as he,
the King himself, has been pleased to adopt. What that
way is, it will be our aim presently to ascertain, and lay
befor^e you. But first, notice this guarantee, of which we
have spoken — this security for the continuance of the
church and the ministry. Brief testimony may here
suffice.

Hearken, then, to the prophetic declaration, Dan. ii. 44:
" And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven
set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed." And
hearken to the assurance given by our Lord, in accordance
with this prophecy. Matt. xvi. 18 : " Upon this rock I will
build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it." The purpose of grace here declared, looks
forward, through all time, to that glorious consummation,
when " the mountain of the Lord's house shall be estab-
lished in the top of the mountains, and exalted above the
hills, and all nations shall flow unto it." The continuance
of the church on earth, bespeaks, of course, the continu-
ance of the ministration of the word ; and the testimony
of Paul assures us of the provision which has been made
for this purpose, from first to last. Ministers, both ordi-

486 CALL TO THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY.

naiy and extraordinary, are represented by the apostle as
the gifts of the ascended Saviour : " He gave some, apos-
tles ; 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." Ephes. iv. 11, 12.

Aware of the peculiarity of the apostolic office, we do
not pretend to ground our view of this matter on the vo-
cation of the first twelve, which was the personal act of
Christ in his bodily presence on earth. We do not, in-
deed, perceive that it was in any such way, that the elders
of the churches were appointed to their office in the days
of the apostles. That the apostles, those prime ministers
of the King, were invested with authority to proclaim his
word, and to teach his will independent of church sanc-
tion, there can be no question. They had new facts to
publish, new truths to unfold, and a new economy to es-
tablish ; and they were furnished with miraculous powers
to evince the truth of their mission, and to sustain their
high pretensions. If, therefore, any person should now
lay claim to a divine com_mission, infallible and indepen-
dent of all human sanction, he will have no right to de-
mand our credence, unless he can produce some token or
evidence corresponding with that claim ; otherwise, (and
we ask particular attention to this point,) otherwise the
church may be intruded on by every one who may take
it into his head, that he is divinely commissioned to en-
gage in the work of the ministry. Hitherto we have at-
tended to it on the negative side only ; we turn now to
the positive, and repeat the query : " What may be con-
sidered as constituting a scriptural call to the gospel min-
istry r'

We here assume that the subject of this call is pos.

CALL TO THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 487

sessed of genuine piety — the basis of all other requisites
in this case ; and we remark, that if we can ascertain
what are the essential qualifications for the Christian min-
istry, we shall arrive at a solution of the question ; for
he that is possessed of these, may be considered, as
Mr. Fuller remarks, to be called of God to exercise
them. "As every man hath received the gift, even so
minister the same,'" is the divine injunction, "as good
stewards of the manifold grace of God. Only let him
take heed that " if he speak, it be according to the oracles
of God." 1 Pet. iv. 10, 11. The question then assumes
this form : What are these essential qualifications, which
constitute or evince a call to the gospel ministry 1 We
conceive them to consist of two sorts : Proper exercises of
mind, and talents or gifts suited to the work.

1st. Proper exercises of mind.

There ought to be a desire for this work. The office of
a bishop includes the w^ork of teaching ; and in regard to
that office, Paul mentions a desire as being supposed to
exist on the part of the individual. 1 Tim. iii. 1. Now
it follows, that an evangelist — that any person engaging in
the work of the ministry, should feel a desire to be so en-
gaged. It is very probable that this desire may be, in a
great measure, quenched, in the h'earts of some who ought
to have been encouraged, and to have taken courage, to
come forth and to go on. But still we say, there ought to
be a desire for the work. It forms a first principle in the
spring of action towards this employment. And we may
add, that there ought to be a specialty in this desire — an
earnest longing to be thus engaged in the service of " the
Captain of our salvation," if so it might be. It follows :

That this desire must be of the right sort. The same
motives and feelings of heart which actuated an apostle,

488 CALL TO THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY.

must actuate every minister of the gospel, for both en-
gage in the common cause, and both serve the same Mas-
ter. Let us then take Paul for a model. Of the nature
of his feelings and motives, he himself has fully informed
us, and has certified the truth of his professions by his la-
bors and his sufferings. Let him speak : " Christ shall be
magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death."
Phil. i. 20 : " God forbid that I should glory, save in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Gal. vi. 20 : " Brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel, is, that
they might be saved." Rom. x. 1 : " Knowing the terror
of the Lord, we persuade men." 2 Cor. v. 11: " For the
love of Christ constraineth us :" ver. 14 : " Therefore, I
endure all things for the elect's sake." 2 Tim. ii. 10 :
" Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see
your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your
faith." 1 Thess. iii. 10. These quotations will suffice to
exhibit the principles by which this man of God was in-
fluenced ; to let us see that the glory of God, the honor
of the Redeemer, the salvation of dying sinners, and the
prosperity of the church, were the objects which inspired
his zeal and governed his heart. Such were his principles ;
and to the influence of these principles it was owing, that
he was enabled to say, wdth the prospect of " bonds and
afflictions" before him : " None of these things move me,
neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might
finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have
received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the
grace of God."

While we insist, however, on the exercise of principles
such as these, we do not say that the pious and conscien-
tious minister of Christ is exempt from feelings of quite
another sort ; feelings which too oflen arise from his own

CALL TO THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 489

nature, and mingle their muddy streams with the pure
fountain of holy and heavenly motives. " This is a la-
mentation, and shall be for a lamentation ;" but it is of the
prevailing principles that we have been speaking ; these
govern the course and stamp the character of the man.
Nor do we pretend, in holding forth the apostle Paul as
the model, that we can present you with a race of minis-
ters, (or even with one,) who can vie with him in that ar-
dent and unabating zeal — that noble, self-sacrificing spirit,
which marked his shining career. But this we say, that
the minister who is scripturally called will be found
a participant of the same spirit — will aim for the same
path, and will follow, though at humble distance, in his
footsteps. We may mention here, what, indeed, has
been implied in our remarks, the necessity of an ardent
thirst for an increasing knowledge of holy truth — for a
right understanding of the mind of the spirit, as revealed
in the volume of inspiration.

But this desire to be personally engaged in the work of
the ministry, and characterized, though it may be, by
right principles, is subject, as we have before remarked, to
be checked, where it ought to have free exercise, and be
put into operation. Such an effect may arise from an ap-
prehension of difficulties to be encountered and work to
be performed, to which there may be a distressing sense
of insufficiency. In such a case, it is no wonder that there
should be a shrinking from the task, even where there is
an earnest zeal of the right character, and an earnest wish
to lend a helping hand in carrying on the work of the
Lord. Now, in counteraction to this shrinking disposition,
a strong impression may take place, which ought not to be
slighted ; an impression consisting in a persuasion of duty ,
— duty to go forward, through all difficulties, in the public

21*

490 CALL TO THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY.

service of the great Master. This impression, then— this
conflict between an apprehension of insurmountable diffi-
culties on the one hand, and a sense of duty on the other,
may constitute another element in a scriptural call to the
work of the ministry.

We have now, brethren, presented to your notice what
we consider to be one species of qualifications, appertain-
ing to a call to the gospel ministry. They regard, as we
have seen, the exercises of the mind. But these exercises,
be it observed, are not to be considered as sufficient of
themselves, to constitute the call of which we are speak-
ing. They may exist in the absence of other qualifications
necessary to the work of the ministry. And this brings
us to notice —

The second species of qualifications requisite in this
case — ^namely, the talents adapted to the work.

The possession of such talents is obviously implied in
the apostolic requisition, " apt to teach." 1 Tim. iii. 2 ;
and 2 Tim. ii. 24. Talents are of two sorts, natural and
acquired. In order to this " aptness," of which the apos-
tle speaks, there must be some considerable stock of na-
tural talent ; a mind capable of invention, or of forming
original ideas, and a faculty to communicate these ideas to
others. Pious persons, possessed of but small gifts, may
employ them usefully in admonition and exhortation ; but
to sermonize — to exhibit the gospel in its various bear-
ings, and to explain and illustrate its sacred truths — this
is another matter, and requires that talent of a different
order be brought into action.

Now, while the individual himself is the judge of his
own desires and motives — of all his own exercises of
mind, others must judge of the fitness of his talents for
the work ; and the proper persons for this judgment are

CALL TO THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 491

those with whom he stands immediately connected, to-
gether with any others who, by them, may be called on to
aid in such a case. For as the minister is to be considered
in the capacity of servant of the church, it is perfectly fit
and proper that his qualifications should be submitted to
be thus judged of. From such evidence as the sacred re-
cords furnish, we may conclude that this mode of proce-
dure is in accordance with the usage of the New Testa-
ment churches. Under the superintendence of the apos-
tles, and their deputies, the evangelists, the churches ap-
pear to have formed their own judgment, and made their
selection of their own ofTicers. This judgment of the
church may, indeed, be sometimes erroneous ; but falli-
bility, in the present state of things, is not to be urged as
an argument against the course here presented. It ap-
pears to commend itself to us as the proper course, and
the best ; and we have no idea that we should be bene-
fited by referring the matter to his holiness of Rome,
though he clothes him.self with the mantle of infalli-
bility.

With respect to acquired talents, a small stock may
suffice to mark out the person as the subject of a gospel
call ; but we would not say that a small stock is sufficient
to qualify him as a minister of the gospel. There is a
distinction to be made between a divine call to the work
of the ministry, and a preparation for the work ; and an
individual, we conceive, may be so far qualified as to give
satisfactory evidence, or to induce the persuasion, that he
is designated to that work, while, as yet, he is almost en-
tirely unqualified for its performance. The buds of pro-
mise may be discerned in the natural talents of the per-
son, through the medium of a small share of acquired
ability ; and, after a while, he may receive the sanction

492 CALL TO THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY.

of the church as a probationer, with a view to his im-
provement in knowledge, particularly in the knowledge of
holy truth, by all the means which may be afforded for
that purpose.

A man so far qualified, experiencing the exercises of
mind which we have stated, and possessed of the talents
which shall be judged suitable for the work, may, in our
estimation, be considered as the subject of a scriptural
call to the gospel ministry, and to be fully invested with
office when it shall appear to be expedient.

€)^t (CutjinHr (Cnctrnnnsti

I HAVE read, with much interest, the Catholic Controversy,
as far as the Herald has furnished it ; — including the second
letter of the two Catholic Doctors ; and cannot help wish-
ing you had assigned more room to this department of
your paper. In a controversy of this sort, I must own I
feel much more agreeably interested, than in the existence
of those intestine conflicts with which we have been too
much disturbed. And if, as I hope, we should find Dr.
Brownlee coming out with a good account of the cause he
has undertaken, it will be a gratification of no ordinary
degree.

The aspect of Popery, as far as I am capable of forming
an idea of it, presents so monstrous a perversion of the
pure, simple, mild, and heavenly religion of Jesus Christ
and his apostles, that I cannot contemplate its existence
without identifying it with " the land of darkness and the
shadow of death." This, however, by the way. An argu-
ment has presented itself to my mind, one in which I do
not yet know whether I have been forestalled by Dr. B. or
any one else, which appears so forcible, that I must beg
leave here to bring it forward. Every ray of light that
pierces the moral gloom, must be welcome to the friends of
Bible truth.

404

THE CATHOLIC CONTROVERSY.

The argument I allude to regards the exclusive claim of
Popery to establish the authority of the holy scriptures,
and to interpret their meaning : and it is that sort of argu-
ment which reduces the position assumed to an absurdity.
That this claim can, in a little time, be reduced to a pal-
pable absurdity, and its high pretensions thus nullified,
I feel pretty confident : but let the candid and intelligent
reader judge.

The Church of Rome, meaning, I suppose, the priest-
hood, with the Pope at its head, clothed with infallibility,
has the exclusive right to pronounce what shall be con-
sidered valid, canonical scripture, and to interpret or de-
clare the true meaning of the sacred volume. This, I
believe, is the claim. It looks imposing enough ; for it
presents a very convenient way of settling all difficulty.
But let us try it.

Now, I am an inquirer into the validity of this claim.
How shall it be decided 1 Would a priest tell me, straight
off, that I must be damned, unless I believe and admit
this claim 1 I suppose not, without first reasoning with
me ; and if he should, this would not convince me. Would
he have me put to the torture, to enforce this point on
me 1 Neither could this convince me : and besides, in
these United States he could not do it. What thanks do
we owe for our privileges ! Would he attem_pt to prove
the claim by miracles ? There is too much light in our
region for the operation of false miracles : these phantas-
magorise must be exhibited where there is more shade.
Well, then, there remains but one appeal : that is, " to the
law and to the testimony :" — to the scriptures themselves.
And now comes the absurdity : the reader will please
to mark it well.

This claim is to be proved by the scriptures. But be-

THE CATHOLIC CONTROVERSY. 495

fore it is proved, we can recognize no infallible judge to
pronounce on the validity of scripture, or to interpret its
meaning ! Therefore, in effect, there is no scripture to
which we can appeal : it is thus, to all intents and pur-
poses, a mere dead letter ; and so the proof cannot be
had!

Or thus :

This claim is to be proved by the scriptures. Then the
scriptures must be allowed to be valid, and we must be
allowed the liberty *of interpretation, before w^e can decide
on the claim, — ^before we can recognize the authority of
this said infallible judge. Therefore, neither the validity
nor the meaning of the scriptures can depend on the dictum
of the Pope !

Thus then stands this lofty claim, in the deformed aspect
of its own absurdity ; and wedged up between the two
horns of a dilemma, from which I do not think the two
reverend champions in New"- York, much as I respect their
talents, are able to set it free.

Yours, with esteem,

Christianos.

a initB from n tJ^iittlimatr*

" The Philistines be upon thee, Samson !" — Was the
warning which the perfidious Delilah gave to her husband,
when she believed it was too late to avail for his rescue.
And indeed the warning did ultimately prove to be too
late, as the tragical fate of this imprudent hero but too
plainly testifies. Samson foolishly delivered himself up
to the blandishments of this fair-faced traitress, lolled in
her lap, went to sleep, was shorn of his hair, lost his strength,
his liberty, his eyes, and his life ! My warning shall not
be too late : if those whom it may reach do not profit by
it, why then their blood must be upon their own heads>
and the Watchman shall be clear.

" But what have we to do, it may be asked, with the
case of Samson and Delilah ? and what means this fearful
warning about blood — blood upon our o^vn heads'?" —
Brethren, friends, fellow-citizens, for you are all interested,
I will explain. The trumpet should not give an uncertain
sound, and I will therefore be explicit. There is now
among us an insinuating, a fair-faced, treacherous Delilah,
who woos you with her blandishments, and would fain win
you over to repose in her lap, that you may share the fate

A VOICE FROM A WATCHMAN.

497

of the unhappy Samson. There is such a Delilah — I mean
Popery !

Let me not here be accused of the want of charity. But
if I should be so accused, deadly error must be opposed ;
and before the Judge of the world, I feel conscious that I
am clear of the charge. I readily admit that there may
be, in the Eomish communion, corrupt as it is, some who
are not only apparently, but sincerely, devout. Moreover,
I would not have violence, in any form, offered to a Papist,
on account of his religious sentiments : I know that the
genius of our holy religion forbids it, and I abhor the
tenet which would lead to such a step. I would not,
if I could, abridge his liberty of conscience : that is a mat-
ter between God and himself ; nor would 1 have a penalty
inflicted on liim, so long as he demeans himself in the
character of a good and peaceable citizen. Query : Can a
full-bred Papist reciprocate these sentiments 1 If he will
do it here, he will do it there. No ; he will not do it in
Italy, in Spain, nor hardly, 1 think, in Ireland, which has
complained so loudly of the want of " Catholic Emancipa-
tion." In a word. Popery will not reciprocate these senti-
ments, in any region where it swims on " the full tide of
successful experiment."

But though such are my sentiments with regard to the
persons of Papists, I consider it perfectly consistent that
I should nevertheless be opposed, most heartily, most irre-
concileably opposed, to Popery as a system ; that I should
deprecate its influence ; and against it, earnestly and serious-
ly warn my brethren, my friends, my fellow-citizens. The
same lenity of feeling which I am disposed to exercise to-
wards Papists, I would extend to Jews, Mahometans, and
Pagans. But shall I therefore countenance the religion of
any of these classes 1 Surely not. Nor can I consent to

498

A VOICE FROM A WATCHMAN.

countenance the religion of Papists — I mean the system of
Popery, \Yhieh J consider as really idolatrous as Paganism
itself. Popery is a system of superstition and bondage,
of cruelty and blood ; and as such it deserves to be dis-
countenanced, not only by the friends of vital religion, but
by every friend to the liberty of his country and the well-
being of man. It is, moreover, marked with strong fea-
tures of idolatry, and is maintained by imposition and
deceit.

This. I am aware, may seem to some like harsh and un-
merited censure. It will seem so to those men who have
not made themselves acquainted, from authentic sources of
information, with the real nature of Popery. That there
are Eomanists who do not drink in the spirit of the sys-
tem, I readily agree ; — men of integrity and worth — of
amiable principles and manners. But they are such as are
not the devotees of the system which they profess : and
instances of this sort, no doubt, more frequently exist in
Protestant communities, where the grosser superstitions
and abominations of Popery are more generally held in
check, and the light of truth and liberty may shine too
brightly for " the mystery of iniquity" to exercise its full
sway. This, however, does not contravene the position,
that Popery is a system of superstition and bondage, of
cruelty and blood ; — that it is strongly marked with the
features of idolatry, and mainly depends for its influence
on imposition and deceit.

Such is the position I take ; and for the correctness of
it I might appeal to the tenets of the Papists as stated
even by their own writers ; and to their practice, as exhi-
bited in the records of well authenticated history. That
Popery is a system of superstition, witness their mock
fasts, on Fridays and in Lent, by eating well di-essed fish,

A VOICE FROM A WATCHMAN. 499

instead of flesh ; their penances inflicted by the sentence
of a priest, and all the silly mummery of lighted candles,
smoking incense, and holy water, salt and spittle, &c., &o.
That it is a system of bondage, witness the implicit faith
which is placed in the dictum of the priest, and the awful
apprehension of incurring the displeasure of their ghostly
rulers ; the dire dread of temporal evils from the sentence
of excommunication ; and especially from the fearful
stroke of the thunder of the Vatican ; and witness the
abject slavery of the subjects of Popery where it is con-
nected with the state, (as it always aims to be,) and fully
wields the civil power. That it is a system of cruelty
and blood — ye fires of Smithfield — ye horrors of the In-
quisition— ye flames of an auto da /e, — and ye, the shades
of thousands upon thousands, massacred for conscience'
sake — do you speak out and testify. That it is strongly
marked with the features of idolatry — the adoration of
the consecrated wafer, as the real body and blood, soi*l
and divinity of the Redeemer — the kiss of adoration
given to the Pope's red sandal — the worship paid to the
Virgin Mary, and a host of canonized saints, and the reli-
gious veneration, even to enthusiasm, accorded to images
and relics, to old bones and rotten rags — all these will
bear witness. And that the system is sustained by im-
position and fraud, I appeal as evidence to the high pre-
tensions of his holiness, " the man of sin," to grant dis-
pensations and indulgences — to rule over the earth and pur-
gatory, and to give the soul a passport to the paradise of
God. And I appeal, as farther evidence, to the preten-
sions of the priests, to pardon and absolve a sinner, and
to the numerous fabulous legends concerning imagin-
ary saints, and the false miracles, or " signs and lying

500 A VOICE FROM A WATCHMAN.

wonders," which have so long caused the world to " won-
der after the beast."

This, it is acknowledged, is speaking plainly ; perhaps
it may be said, roughly. But why should we mince the
matter '? I have no disposition (in all good conscience I
say it) to misrepresent Popery, and I do not think that in
the above sketch J have done so. If, however, in any cir-
cumstance, I may have erred, enough of correctness will
remain, to present the outline of a picture, sufficiently re-
volting, one would think, to the heart of every Christian
and patriot.

But methinks I hear some one say : " O, this represen-
tation is correct enough, as to what Popery has been ; but
Popery has changed much for the better." Softly, my
friend! not so. Papists may have changed, with the
change of circumstances ; but Popery has not changed ;
and, mark it well. Popery cannot change. This I shall
prove in few words.

One of the glorification tenets of Popery is, that " The
Church of Rome is infallible !" Though the Corinthian
Church erred ; though several of the seven Asiatic churches
erred, yet " the Church of Rome cannot err." Here then
I have the proof of my position. Whatever tenets have
been taught by an infallible church, that is, by the Pope and
his clergy, and whatever course has been sanctioned by
them, must be right. All these tenets, therefore, and
these practices, of superstition and bondage, of cruelty
and blood, of idolatry, and imposition, and fraud, must be
right, and ought to be practised when they can be ; nor
can consistent Papists say otherwise. Or if they can, let
them do it. Let the priests plainly discover such tenets
and practices. But let me be plainer on this point.

A VOICE FROM A WATCHMAN. 501

High-handed Protestants have persecuted for conscience'
sake. Yes ; among other scarlet rags, which some of them
brought with them fi'om their old mother, was this spirit ;
and in too many instances they persecuted unto death,
for conscience' sake. But in so doing they erred from
the truth, and dishonored the cause which they pro-
fessed. It was shameful ! it was wicked ! it was abomi-
nable ! Now I would ask, can the Romish priests fairly
reciprocate ? "Will they say, that the tortui;es, the burn-
ings, the massacres, perpetrated by their church, for con-
science' sake, were abominable wickedness ; and that his
holiness, the grand Pontiff, in lending his sanction to such
a course, grossly erred and grievously sinned ? No ; they
dare not say it. What then is their situation ? If they
condemn, they give up the foundation tenet of infallibility :
if they approve, they avow themselves bloody persecutors
in principle. " A dire dilemma either way they're sped,"
and either horn of the dilemma would sorely gore them.
How then do they attempt an escape 1 Why, by a denial
of facts ; of facts so well authenticated, that they cannot be
denied, but by setting at nought the validity of all moral
evidence !

If, then, Popery be unchangeable, which, from its profes-
sion of infallibility it must necessarily be, on what are we
to calculate, in the event of its ascendency in this favored
country 1 On what, but on a subjugation to the same
tyranny over soul and body, which other countries, sub-
jected to its baneful influence, have experienced. The
triple-crowned Pontiff at Rome, claiming supreme spiritual
dominion over the world, would find it no difficult matter
to launch his thunders across the Atlantic. Cardinals,
legates, and inquisitors, would bring over the electric fluid
of the Vatican, pent up in bulls and decrees, like Frank-

502 A VOICE FROM A WATCHMAN.

liii's " bottled thunder," but much more terrific, and ready-
to let loose as occasion might require. Then wo to the
refractory spirits of America ! The last lingerings of free-
dom, religious and political, must, if possible, be annihi-
lated ; and in the fearful contest, these United States would
present a scene, to which the present state of things, in old
Popish countries, can form no parallel.

These ideas, good friends, are not the chimeras of a dis-
tempered imagination : they are sober calculations, founded
on substantial data : and the occasional sparklings of the
Popish spirit, where it can presume to show itself, betray
strong signs of the correctness of these calculations.
Witness the consecration in St. Louis, by the roar of
cannon, and the pomp of a military parade. Witness the
knocking off of hats, in Cincinnati, from the heads of Pro-
testants who would not idolize a Popish bishop ; and wit-
ness the punishment inflicted by a father on a defenceless
youth, in a northern city, and at the instigation of a priest,
because that youth could not digest the errors and absur-
dities of Popery. Other cases might be mentioned, as
mere sparks from the great electrical machine ; but it is on
more substantial data that I make my calculations. I know
that Delilah yet wears a fair face ; but Popery is not to be
judged of by its professions in this country.

So much by way of a sketch of Popery ; while yet I
believe that many who are called Roman Catholics are
worthy and respectable citizens. This address is rather a
long one ; and though it is but a sketch, I must come to a
close. Do you now ask, good friends, " what would the
Watchman recommend f I would answer, cherish to-
wards Papists, as citizens, a spirit of courtesy and kind-
ness ; but give no countenance to Popery. Sanction not
their idolatrous service by your attendance ; and be not

A VOICE FROM A WATCHMAN.

503

gulled by the imposing professions of Jesuits and Nuns, or
Sisters of Charity, to place your sons or your daughters
under the influence of their tutelage. As you value real
Christianity, or civil and religious liberty, I warn you,
most seriously, give no countenance to Popery.

A Watchman.

€\it inrinl IptBm.

To Mr. Robert Owen, late of New Lanark, Scotland :

Sir : — I observe, from the public prints, and particularly
from your lectures lately delivered in the Capitol at
Washington, that you have paid a visit to our country, for
the purpose of offering your services in establishing a new
order in society, or what you are pleased to term " the new
system." So that wliile we are endeavoring to bestow on
the remnants of the Indian tribes upon our borders the
blessings of civilization and religion, you, it seems, have
come into our very interior, to erect a sort of imperium
iti imperio ; or, rather, completely to revolutionize us all,
and new-model the whole order of society, in theory and
practice ; and thus bestow upon us that individual and
social happiness, to which we have been heretofore utter
strangers. All this may be very well, for aught I know,
provided you do not, in making the attempt, deprive us of
some good, superior to anything you can offer in ex-
change. Your plan, to be sure, looks, at first glance, very
pleasing ; — your castle, surrounded with its " gardens and
pleasure grounds," presents an alluring prospect ; but,
sir, I must candidly tell you, I am afraid of the foundation.

Had you come to propose a plan for the amelioration of

* First pubUshed in the Columbian Star, "Washington, D. C. — Ed .

THE SOCIAL SYSTEM. 505

society, — a plan comporting with religious hope and moral
obligation, we should have been willing, not only to give
you credit for your motives, but to make our acknow-
ledgments for any exertions on your part, tov^ards the
accomplishment of so desirable an object. It is not de-
nied that the state of society is susceptible of improve-
ment ; nor, that you possess a genius which might profit-
ably be employed that way ; nor yet, that there are
features in your scheme, which, in some cases, may be well
adapted to that purpose.. But if it shall be found that the
avowed principles upon w^hich you proceed are subver-
sive of our best hopes and best interests, we must take the
liberty, with ail due regard for your benevolent intentions^
to reject the proposals w^hich you lay before us.

It is but a cursory view that I have taken of your
lectures ; but I think I can be under no mistake when I
say, that your system not only leaves out religion, I mean the
religion of the Bible, but is set in array against it : and I sup-
pose, that as, according to your own system, every one is to
speak every thing he thinks, you will fully and fairly own
that it is so. Thus, then, would you sweep off the only
foundation of Christian hope! And what sir, do you offer
us in the room of it '? Why, as far as I can see. only the
sand of New Lanark, as a foundation both for time and
eternity ! In other w^ords, your plan, according to the
principles which you lay dow^n, involves in it the destruc-
tion of our prospects of everlasting felicitj , while it does
not even pretend to present us with ^W other happiness
than what may arise in the present life from individual
gratification and a well regulated community. This, I
think, is a fair statement of the fact. If you should plead
that you have nothing better to ofter, then I must say, as
22

506 THE SOCIAL SYSTEM.

Diogenes said to Alexander, "please to get out of our
sunshine : you deprive us of what you cannot give to
us."

But in order to show that this is indeed a ftiir statement
of the case, I will refer to some of your expressions. I
have a short extract from jour second lecture now before
me : in that you say, " The old system has been influenced,
in all ages, by some imaginary notions or other, under the
name of religion ; but which notions have been, in all
countries, uniformly opposed to facts, and, in consequence,
all minds have been rendered more or less irrational."
Here, then, all religions in the world, and of course the
Christian religion with them, are to be swept off, to make
room for this new system. Still you were aware, that
something " under the name of religion" must be brought
forward : and what is it ? Whj^ " the new system, you
say, as I have previously stated, adopts a religion derived
from the facts which demonstrate what human nature really
is, and which facts give to man all the knowledge he pos-
sesses respecting himself." Verily, sir, if you had not, from
this statement, made out your own inference, as to the
nam^e and qualities belonging to such a religion, I think we
should have been greatly at a loss to form one. " A religion,
say you, derived from the facts which demonstrate what
human nature really is, and which facts give to man all the
knowledge he possesses respecting himself" Well, we
wait to hear sOtaething more : for really we do not well
understand you :— " ii-Lq therefore called rational religion,
or a religion of demonstr^d^le tmth." I suppose you
mean, that you call it so ; for inde^ I must think but few
others would call it so, from the definition or statement
which you have given. And what more 1— A relio-ion
" of intelligence ;" — to me it appears just the reverse ;

THE SOCIAL SYSTEM. 507

" and of universal charity and benevolence, and derived
from the evidence of our senses." Here, then, is some-
thing more imposing. But whence this " universal charity
and benevolence" should spring, I cannot see. As far,
however, as I can see, here is a religion without God !
without moral obligation ! without the prospect of future
felicity ! You were aware, as I said, that something under
the name of religion must be brought forward ; and you
seem to have given us the empty, unintelligible definition
above mentioned, as a tub thrown out to the whale.

I cannot help suspecting, that as you knew we had here
no legal establishment of religion, and not knowing any
thing of genuine religion yourself, you indulged the fond
fancy, that by the exhibitions of your plans, you could
easily draw off the community from their " imaginary
notions" of religion, to take shelter under the shadow of
your system. And this idea, together v/ith the benevolent
motives which you plead, forms, perhaps, your best apology
for this undertaking. But, be it known to you, sir, that if
religion is not established among us by law, it is established
in the hearts of many thousands, which is far better ; and
that most of those who are not really and truly pious, feel
something of the influence of religion, and a persuasion, or an
apprehension, of its divinity, which it will require stronger
eloquence than yours to dispel. And, upon the whole, you
must offer something far beyond anything you have yet
offered, to induce us to renounce religion, and fling up all
interest in the blessedness which it promises.

There is, sir, an appalling object, that will obtrude
itself on all your plans — a black, threatening cloud, that will
shade your finest " pleasure .grounds ;" — I mean death !
Now, as you do not even pretend to make any provision
for our prospects after death, I must insist, that before you

508 THE SOCIAL SYSTEM.

can reasonably expect anything like a general acquiescence
in your proposals, you give us some assurance of the literal
abolition of death, and the conferring of immortality on
the subjects of your government. If the panacea which
you seem to have discovered, for the cure of all evils,
physical and moral ; — no ; I ask pardon, there is no such
thing as moral evil, according to your system ; — well,
then, if your panacea for the cure of all human evil has
the virtue to effect this object, I dare say you will find
crowds, vast crowds, who will adopt your system, and full
into your ranks. For myself, however, and I think many
others would say so too, I should still deem it but a
sorry bargain ; — a sorry bargain, to exchange the prospect
of the " paradise of God," with all its sublime glories and
exalted pleasures, for the village of New Lanark, or that
of the Harmonites.

Your system, sir, in literally reducing man to a mere
machine, in making him completely the creature of exter-
nal circumstances, and in neutralizing his fears and his
hopes, those powerful springs of action, appears to me as
unphilosophical as it is irreligious. But on this point I do
not mean to insist, having myself no great pretensions to
metaphysical philosophy, and not deeming it necessary to
take ujD the matter in that light. It may not be amiss,
however, to take notice of the inconsistency of your sys-
tem with itself; as this will serve to expose the error of
your principles. You deny that man is to be considered
as a proper subject for reward or punishment. Why,
then, I would ask, do you labor to set forth the happy
effects of the new system, and the evils necessarily attend-
ant on the old ? Is not this happiness a reward w^hich is to
follow upon the adoption of your scheme ? And are not
these evils in effect a penalty, which we must continue to

THE SOCIAL SYSTEM. 509

bear, if we perversely reject your proposals ? Were it
not that we have so often v/itnessed the delusive nature of
the love of one's own dear hypothesis, we might well
wonder at that blindness which hinders you from seeing so
glaring an inconsistency.

While speaking on the subject of rewards and pun-
ishments, permit me to correct a capital error into
which you have fallen, respecting the reward of the
righteous, as held out by religion. The righteous, accord-
ing to the religion of Christ, are not remunerated with " an
artificial reward," which they have " deserved." Their
future felicity is the result of that state of preparation,
which, through the operation of the divine principle of re-
ligion, has been experienced in this life ; and though, accord-
ing to our works, it is by no means by or for our works, or
any merit or desert which we can possess.

I have spoken pretty plainly, I agree ; and if I speak
still more plainly, it will not be, I assure you, through
any disrespect to you, but for the sake of the important
cause in question. I dare not agree to compromise the
interests of religion, in deference to any man, nor through
a regard to the motives by which he may profess to be go-
verned. And if, in the present case, I should own that I feel
indignant at your proposals for the annihilation of religion,
my apology, I am persuaded, would be found in the feelings
of all the friends of piety who duly reflect on the subject.

You have come to this country,%r what purpose? Shall
I say to attempt the destruction of the Christian religion *? I
will not say indeed that this is your leading or your ultimate
object. But surely you will not deny, that this is embraced
in your schem.e ; and that it is, according to your princi*
pies, an object subservient to your grand design. Holding
in your hand, as you imagine, "the besom of destruction,"

510 THE SOCIAL SYSTEM.

you very iDenevolently ask leave to sweep off the principles
of our religion, as a part of the rubbish which is in the
way of the castle you intend to build for us. Really, sir,
this is a daring attempt ! And so, what the crafty and
malignant Voltaire, with all his coadjutors, could not effect
by his deep-laid conspiracy, you are endeavoring, single-
handed, to accomplish in another way. Well, sir, sweep
away, if you will ; but remember that you undertake it at
the peril of your soul ! But rather let me say, cease, I
beseech you, to wage war with the Almighty ! Cease to
rival Him whom God hath set u]3on his holy hill of Zion !
But if you will not, then know, that your attempt is as
vain as it is dangerous. There is a deep-rooted rock in
your way, a rock which, unimpaired, has stood the assaults
of many tempests, and which surely will not now yield to
the strokes of your broom.

You will observe, sir, as you have gratuitously as-
sumed, that our religion is to be reckoned as an " imagin-
ary notion ;" and as I cannot think that such gratuitous
assumption, though by Mr. Owen, of New-Lanark, is to
be admitted as a proof, so I have taken it for granted,
that our religion stands just as it stood before; and tested,
as it has been, by the attacks of infidelity on the one hand,
and the triumphant defence of its advocates on the other, I
consider it still a divine reality.

If now you can, on proper principles, devise any method
for the amelioration of society, I would say, go on, and may
God speed your endeavors ! There is something, I serious-
ly own, so pleasing in the general outline of your plan, in
the common interest, which, according to such a plan, is to
-pervade society, and in that happy equality of I'ights, that
order and regularity, which it seems to promise ; — there is
something so pleasing and inviting in all this, that, bating

THE SOCIAL SYSTEM. 511

those principles which unhappily go to the annihilation of
religion, I should be highly gratified to see such a plan
put into operation. Your strange denial of human de-
pravity, so deeply stamped on childhood and nriaturity —
your making of every thing, in the character of man, to
depend on external circumstances ; and, in general, discard-
ing from your plan the principles of revealed religion ; these
are the features so obnoxious in your system ; and I lament
that you should thus mar the prospect of doing good.
May you be brought to see and forsake your errors, and
then may success crown your exertions 1
With due respect, I am, sir.

Your well-wisher,

ViRGINIUS.

April Ml, 1825.

P. S. Although it has not been my object to investigate
your metaphysics, there is one argument, on which you
seem to rely with much confidence, which I will here briefly
notice, in order to show that your principles are by no
means so invulnerable as you may imagine. Speaking of
the character of man, you assume, " that he is a compound
being, formed by the impressions made by external cir-
cumstances, upon his individual nature ;" and hence you
infer, that " as he had no will, or knowledge, or power, in
deciding upon the creation of either, he cannot become a
rational object for individual reward or punishment."
Now, sir, suppose we admit your premises : — will this
conclusion follow 1 According to your principles, it will
Slot ; particularly as it regards temporary reward and pun-
ishment. For, allow that man is the mere tool you would
niake him. ; — -the passive subject of imperious circum-

512 THE SOCIAL SYSTEM.

Stances, which, hy the way, is a mere assumption, then
I have only to say, that rewards and punishments are
among those " circumstances" which are requisite to form
his character. Experience has appeared to show this, and
how will you disprove it 1

Mx. Imtjtji Euii tljj apntElijjis^

Dear Sir :— A few days ago, a friend put into my hands
the work of the Hon. A. Smyth, on the Revelation ; for the
publication of which, numbers, and I among the rest, have
been so eagerly waiting. In the moment of stretching
forth my hand to receive this precious morceait^l anticipated
a feast. The book of Eevelation unsealed at last ! — that
mysterious book, on which so many learned and pious
men — but I had no time for indulging reflections on the
labors of those who had gone before. Much had been
done ; but much, I was aware, remained to be done ; and
I was anxious to see a work which promised to break every
seal.

The first check I received to my pleasing anticipations,
was from the size of the pamphlet. This, thought 1, while
I held it between my finger and thumb, which nearly came
into contact— this, reading the title-page — this an " Ex-
planation of the Apocalypse !" However, as the discovery
which had been announced was new, I did not know but
that there might be a new laconic method of expounding ;
and so I was willing to make the best of it. Besides, said I,
he is a scholar, and no doubt understands how to write in
22*

514 MR. SMYTH AND THE APOCALYPSE.

the concise style. I opened the book. What a margin !
And then the distance of the lines ! — leaded lines, 1 think
the printers call them. Well, well ! if the printing is not
condensed, I hope the thoughts are. But I was anxious
to read, and in turning to the commencement, spent only
one thought more on externals : — " Can such a pamphlet
be worth half a dollar, these times ?"

Copy-right secured. Well, we will not reprint it till the
privileged term expires. I began to read, and in the very
first sentence I thought, to use a homely saying, " I smelt
a rat." " The important question respecting the Book of
the Revelation of St. John the Divine, is, whether it is a
prophetical vision of future events, or an artful enigm-atical
relation of past events, under the form of prophecy." Mr.
Smyth takes the affirmative of the latter part of this ques-
tion, and having attempted to prove this point, proceeds to
dispatch the business of exposition.

It is far from my intention, Mr. Editor, to enter the lists
of controversy with the honorable author of this perform-
ance ; or, to attempt anything more than a slight notice of
what I conscientiously think ought to be but slightly
noticed.

In order to invalidate the authenticity of the Apocalypse,
Mr. S. contends that it was not written till nearly 200
years after the Christian era ; and yet, from his own quota-
tions, a contrary conclusion may fairly be drawn : " Papias
was Bishop of Hierapolis, in Asia, from 110 to 116, A. C,
and introduced the opinion of the Millenarians," — p. 5.
And whence, we would ask, came the opinion of the Mille-
narians '] Doubtless, from the Apocalypse. The doctrine
' of the millennium, indeed, was abused by some fanatics, as
other points of scripture doctrine have been ; and this
seems to have given occasion to some of their opponents,

MR, SMVTH AND THE APOCALYPSE. 515

after the second century, rashly to call in question the
authenticity of the book on which these absurd opinions
were professedly grounded.

The quotation from Justin Martyr, (p. 5.) is a clear and
pointed testimony to the existence of the Apocalypse,
" by John, one of the Apostles of Christ ;" and yet Mr.
S. says, " I cannot agree that he ever saw the Apocalypse,
in the form in which it now appears." And why not agree
to it ? Why, for this very powerful reason, that it would
destroy his theory. This, indeed, is an expeditious way of
dispatching a point ; but really, sir, " I cannot agree" that
this shall be called an argument.

It is conceded by our author that Irenceus "speaks of
the Apocalypse ;" but then Mr. S. wishes to make him
the author of it : another convenient way of getting clear of
testimony. But what is the evidence in favor of this
point 1 Why, " Iren^eus was acquainted with Niger, Albi-
nus, Severus, Julia Domna, and with the history of the
infancy of Caracalla," &c., p. 52, 53. Our author has
thought proper to make these the prominent characters in
his " Explanation ;" and taking it for granted that he has
demonstrated the correctness of his ideas, he thus grounds
his argument on his own exposition. This might indeed
pass for reasoning with us, if we should happen to think
of Mr. S.'s "Explanation" as he thinks of it himself; but as
this will hardly be the case, I shall take the liberty of term-
ing it a petitio principii, a mere begging of the question.
But there is something in a note here : let us try that.
Irenaeus, speaking of Pothinus. says, " For he was indeed
a genuine disciple of Christ, following the Lamb whither-
soever he goes." Now for the argument. In the Revela-
tion we read, "These are they which follow the Lamb
whithersoever he goes." And what then 1 Why, " This

516 MR. SMYTH AND THE APOCALYPSE.

use," says our author, "of a slmUav peculiar expression,
indicates that both these productions are probably from
the same pen," p. 52. If this be evidence, then when a
reb'gious letter-writer, Newton, for instance, incorporates
any of the peculiar expressions of Paul into his own let-
ters, without referring to the Apostle, he gives indication
that he was the author of Paul's Epistles !*

As the decision of the question concerning the authen-
ticity of the Revelation is the ground on which Mr. Smyth's
" Explanation" depends, you will indulge me in noticing
one more argument, and I shall be done with this point.
Speaking of "the visions of Hernias," our author says,
" the machinery is so far inferior to that of the Apocalypse,
that we must believe that the work of Hermas was first
written ; as in architecture, the hut preceded the palace,"
p. 4. This conclusion is obviously grounded on the pre-
sumption, that the Apocalypse is not the fruit of divine
revelation. This position, which was in eifect the point in
question, Mr. S. assumes at the outset, and so again is
guilty of a 2^^i^iio lyrincipii. Has the gentleman studied logic
to no better purpose than he has studied divinity ? I am
inclined, however, to impute this bad reasoning to the bad-
ness of the cause in which it is employed, having under-
stood that the writer is a man of talents and learning.
But I may farther remark, that the argument has no force,
independent of the question of divine inspiration. The
Iliad is allovv^ed to be superior in its machinery to the
Lusiad. Query : Is this any evidence that Homer wrote
after Camoens ? Nay, more than this, the very figure itself,

* Or if this should be thought too strong a case, the Epistles of
Paul being indisputably before Mr. Newton's time, then I would
simply ask, was not Irenseus as much at liberty to make use of John's
words, as Newton, or any one else, to adopt the expressions of Paul !

MR. SMYTH AND THE APOCALYPSE. 517

of the hut and the palace, how applicable soever to the
science of arcliitecture, is not founded in fact as it regards
individual cases ; many a man, it must be admitted, is able
to build a hut, who is incapable of constructing a palace.

I have now nearly accomplished my intention in this
undertakhig. I have done with the groundwork of this
rare performance ; and as to the superstructure — the " Ex-
planation"— I shall trouble neither you nor myself, nor any
body else, much about it. Mr. S. thought proper to pledge
himself to the public in a way which book-makers do not
generally adopt : " I certify upon honor," &;c. And how-
has he redeemed the pledge 1 Taking a few scraps from a
i^^ chapters of this mysterious book, and mustering to-
gether some records of Roman history, he has attempted
to shape out a resemblance between the historical facts
and the pretended visions; though the discrepancy is so
glaring, and the perverted applications so monstrous, that
a serious reader ctai consider this " Explanation" in no
other light than as a buvlesq^ue.

Had Mr. S. shown a disposition soberly to call in ques-
tion the authenticity of the Apocalypse, with due regard,
at the same time, to divine revelation in general, his argu-
ments would no doubt have received a respectful attention.
But without any breach of charity, I think 1 may believe,
that this attacli is made in the spirit of hostility to the
Bible. The la-tter part of the work is strongly tinctured
with the cant of Deism, and the closing sentence sets at
nought the grand requirement of the gospel. " Belief and
unbelief," says this gentleman, " are equally involuntary ;
and as the one can deserve no censure, so the other can
merit no applause."

We have now seen something of this writer's dialectics,
and something of his ethics ; and it is enough. But few

518 MR. SMYTH AND THE APOCALYPSE.

subscribers, I am persuaded, sir, whatever they may think
of the price of the pamphlet, will regret the shortness of
the work. Many will, no doubt, be reminded of the fable
of the mountain in labor ;- — a much happier hit, some
may think, than applying the vision of " the Lamb on
Mount Zion" to Caracalla, a monster of unnatural wicked-
ness.

I said something, in the early part of this communica-
tion, about " smelling a rat." I must apologize for the
homeliness of the expression, as well as for some little
mistake : it seems it was a mouse.

Wishing the writer of this pamphlet a better application
of his time and talents, I subscribe myself.

Respectfully, &c

CAr^OLINUS.*

Virginia, February^ 1825.

* Published originally in the Columbian Star, Washington, D. C.

'"W^al Blauuti nf Man h «liist

J f

It was the night season, and I was reading, in solitude,
the 8th chapter of Matthew, where, among other wonder-
ful works of the great messenger of salvation, we have an
account of the stilling of the tempest.

I pictured the scene in my imagination ; and at the close
mentally joined in the exclamation of the disciples, "what
manner of man is this, that even the wind and sea
obey him V My mind had received the impulse for medi-
tation on this unspeakable character. I drew around me
an ideal auditory, and addressed to them my effusions on
the subject.

If you, Mr. Editor, should think these lucubrations
deserve to be drawn forth from seclusion, to see the light in
your columns, they are here at your service. Perhaps it may
suit the tone in which they run, to be delivered in this way,
rather than in the pulpit.

" What manner of man is this *?" With what divine
authority and power is he clothed 1 You see him, indeed,
under circumstances deeply humiliating; but at the same
time you see him illustrious in power and divine honor
" beyondcompare." You see'him in the union of apparent

520 " WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS 1"

poverty, and ignominy, and weakness, with real splendor,
and dignity, and dominion. "What manner of man is
this f Let us view him in his infancy, in his manhood,
in his death.

In his infancy : He is born in meanness, a stable his cham-
ber, and a manger his cradle. But look yonder ! Angels
have descended to announce his birth, and tuned their harps
to chant the Christmas carol ! Their glory brightens the
darkness of the skies, and their music charms the eve of
night. No splendid illumination adorns his humble apart-
ment ; but heaven hangs out its own wondrous lamp at
once to declare his birth, and to guide the eastern sages
in their journey. Poverty marks the circumstances of the
infant Saviour ; but " gold, and frankincense, and myrrh,
are a free-will offering at his shrine." — " What manner of
man is this !" In his manhood, you behold in his habits
and demeanor " the man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief;" while, at the same time, he is exercising an au-
thority which calls forth divine energy and controls all
nature.

The whole family of human diseases, every character of
sickness and pain, is subdued by his power. He speaks,
and the disease is rebuked ; — at his sovereign touch, the
fever has fled. If his disciples are at sea, and he desires
to join them, the waves become a carpet for his feet, and
he walks on the deep, as in Solomon's porch. And when
in a vessel with his disciples, and the storm comes down,
then, ay, then, what a sublime authority is displayed !
Permit me here to indulge my thoughts a little.

Jesus is asleep on a pillow, in the hinder part of the
ship. And, as if to take advantage of their Master's
situation, the winds have broke loose from their prison-
house, and the waves are dashed into fary ; while death, in

" WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS ?" 521

dreadful form, seems to threaten the little company.
" Master, Master, we perish !" — He rises in calm majesty
from his pillow ; and gently rebuking their fears, he looks
abroad upon^the scowling skies and the boisterous deep ; he
gives the word, " Peace ! be still !" — and the winds imme-
diately cease to howl, and the waves crouch at his feet.
" Peace ! be still ! and there was a great calm !" " What
manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea
obey him f

Nor are we yet done with a survey of the mighty Re-
deemer's authority, in his ministrations on earth. Demons
were compelled to relinquish their habitations of men ;
the chambers of death were unlocked by his voice, and the
captives of the " King of Terrors" redeemed from his
grasp. Plere I could wish again to indulge my reflections,
and attempt a sketch of the case of Lazarus. I would
present him to your view in his sepulchre — the seal of
death stamped deep on his features, while even putrefaction
had began its operations. And then, the Lord of life at
his grave ; and then he that was dead, rising and coming
forth at his bidding — animation beaming in his eyes, and
health mantling in his cheeks. But time would fail, and I
forbear. Well may we exclaim, " What manner of man
is this !" while we come to notice this wonderful person.

In his death : And here, too, we admit the circum-
stances of apparent weakness, and degradation, and infamy.
He was taken by wicked hands, and was crucified — the
most shameful kind of death. He was crucified between
two thieves, to render him still more vile in his death.
He was deserted by many of his friends, and insulted and
reviled by his enemies.

But did not Heaven show him funeral honors 1 Yes ! If
the tokens of gratulation and joy were hung out at his

522 " WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS V

birth ; Nature dressed herself hi mourning at his death.
If angels then announced him to the earth with songs of
heavenly melody ; earth now groans at his death, and
shakes to her centre. And if a new star was kindled in
the skies in honor of his birth ; the sun now veils his face
in darkness in honor of his death. O, my friends, my
friends ! was Jesus without funeral honors ? No ! no ! the
deep and awful tones of the earthquake sung his dirge ; the
abodes of the dead burst open with astonishment ; the sun,
hiding his face, became chief mourner ; and the hand of
God hung the mighty dome of heaven with sackcloth.
If, now, we exclaim, *' What manner of man is thisf let
the centurion respond, " Truly, this man was the Son of
God." Let the salvation of the penitent, dying thief, con-
firm the glorious truth ; let earth acknowledge it, and adore ;
let hell confess it, and tremble.

These wonderful tokens show his authority even in
death ; but let us add, that his resurrection, his ascension,
his glorification, serve to crown that authority, and to con-
summate his character as the Redeemer of sinners — mighty
to save. Let me close, by asking, " Is he your friend, or
is he your enemy V

Christianos.

MODERATOR OF THE DOVER ASSOCIATION, AT THE CLOSl
OF THE LAST SESSION.

Permit me, brethren, on the close of the interview with
which we have once more been favored, and on the eve of
parting, to make a small draft on your time and patience,
while I offer to your attention some thoughts and impres-
sions suggested by the occasion. And though in the habit
of speaking in an extemporaneous manner, I ask to be in-
dulged, in the present case, in addressing you from the
paper which is before me.

Let me hope, dear brethren, that my advanced age, the
length of time in which I have been engaged, though poorly?
in the public service of our common Master, and the station
which you have repeatedly called me to fill, at these our
annual meetings, — let me hope that these considerations will
form a sufficient apology for the liberty I thus take, and
will exempt me from all charge of arrogance or of vanity,

* Delivered before the Dover Association, at its last session in
1838.— Ed. .

524

VALEDICTORY OF ELDER A. BROADDUS.

for thus calling your attention, before we shake hands and
bid adieu !

If it should be asked, why this valedictory address on
this occasion, rather than on any former one of a similar
nature, I would answer, because now far advanced in life, I
am admonished, without laying claim to a prophetic spirit,
that the end of my journey is probably not far distant,
and I feel a desire, before the closing scene of life, to say
something to you in this way. I ought to reflect, that
'there is some probability I may never meet with you
in an Association again. At any rate, it is highly probable
we all shall never meet again in our present state of exist-
ence. This solemn thought I wish to have deeply im-
pressed on my own mind, and I wish it to be deeply im-
pressed on yours.

Allow me, brethren, on this occasion, just to take a
glance at my own course. For bringing to your notice,
however, even for a few minutes, such an object as myself,
I owe you an apology : let this suffice. Old age is dis-
posed to egotism ; but it is. not, as you will see, with any,
the least view to self applause, that I take this glance at
my own history. O ! that it were worthy of being pre-
sented to you by way of example ! But where example
fails, let admonition supply its place.

I am now near the termination of my sixty-eighth year.
Full forty-nine years of my life have elapsed since I made
a public profession of religion, by putting on Christ in
baptism ; and forty-eight years, since I ventured to come
forward in a public manner, a feeble advocate of the cause
of our divine Master. In the course of my pilgrimage I
have passed, as you may suppose, through different sorts
of weather, (allow this figure,) and over grounds of varied
surface. A checkered scene of shade and sunshine, of storm

VALEDICTORY OF ELDER A. BROADDUS. 525

and fair weather, from the skies above, and under foot a
diversified track of hills and valleys, rocks and mountains,
with here and there a level plain, and a pleasant path. This
state of things we may consider, as in some good degree,
the common lot of the Church in her present militant state.
Yet I am compelled to say, to me it appears, that some of
our heaviest trials grow out of our own grievous failings.
Afflictions, I am aware, are often sent in mercy ; and the
chastisements of God's people proceed from the hand of a
Father : but how many a conflict, how many a painful
exercise of mind, might have been avoided, by a course of
steady unwavering devotion to God in heart and life ! Let
this be for an admonition.

In the course of my profession, I have witnessed repeated
revivals of religion, and agam I have had to mourn the
languid state of Zion : have sometimes enjoyed a heavenly
satisfaction in proclaiming the message of eternal life, and
opening the rich treasures of divine truth ; and often, alas !
have I groaned under a consciousness of the weakness of
my nature, and the poverty of my efforts. Sometimes I
have experienced, as I trust, exercises of unearthly enjoy-
ment ; and have often been " in heaviness through mani-
fold temptations." But, brethren, let me here testify, that
amidst all the conflicts and trials which I have encountered
and endured, I have never repented of having engaged to
become a servant of God — a follower of Christ. In this
respect I have no regrets but such as arise from my own
failings in faith, and love, and holy duties. Repented of
this 1 No ! and were my trials and conflicts, as a Chris-
tian, much greater than they are, far from recanting, I
humbly hope I would still hold on, and say with Job, of
old, " Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,"

As respecting the ministry, such have been the diflicul-

626 VALEDICTORY OF ELDER A. BROADDUS.

ties through which I have had to pass, particularly on
account of my constitutional weakness of nerve and of
spirit, that apart from a sense of duty, I believe I should
be disposed, and should decide, to relinquish its responsi-
bilities and its labors. But in this respect, a deeper devo-
tion to God and his cause, would, I am persuaded, have
greatly conduced to my relief And even in this respect,
I am willing, yea, desirous, to be at my Master's disposal.
O, brethren, that you and I may be ready, whenever He
calls, to answer with faithful Abraham, " Here am I !"

It is time to turn my view from myself to others.

In looking around on this assembled body, I see none of
those who belonged to the old generation, when I, then a
youth, first united with the fraternal band.* A remnant
even of that generation I could not expect to see. Ford,
Webber, Courtney, Lunsford, Toler, Noel, Lewis, Green-
wood, with several others that might be named, have long
since finished their course, and are gone to " rest from
their labors." Your fathers, where are they? and the
prophets, do the^ live forever ?" But my coevals, too, how
few do I see ! Where is Straughan ? and where is Semple,
that brother of my soul"? And Claybrook, and Rice,
where are they ? Alas ! these also have left us for a
brighter and a better world ! And what a list might be
drawn out, of brethren in the more private walks of the
church, — brethren with whom I once associated, and who
vacated their seats, no more to assemble with us in our
tabernacles below ! Reflections of this sort are calculated
to throw a melancholy shade over our minds, and to sad-
den the feelings of our hearts. But, blessed be God ! a
cheering light breaks through this gloom, even here in our
earthly abode, and j ust beyond we catch the glimpse of a more
glorious dawn ! The seats here left vacant by our departed

rALEDlCTOEY OF ELDER A. BROADDUS. 527

brethren have been more than filled by a new genera-
tion of Christians, and we look forward to the day when
we shall re-assemble with our brethren who have died in
the Lord, on Zion's heavenly hill, bright with the splendors
of a cloudless day !

And, brethren in the ministry, with the approbation of
our Master, (O, that we may win his approving smile !)
and with this prospect before us, shall v/e not be willing to
forego what the world calls honorable, and yield its riches
to those " who basely pant" for worldly wealth, content to
wait for our reward at the coming day'? The estimate
formed by the world is a false estimate. Who are the
celebrated ones of the earth 1 The sages, who present us
with the rush-light of human wisdom ; — not the men who
" hold forth the word of life :" The heroes, who conquer
nations ; — not those who overcome the powers of darkness :
The patriots and statesmen, who can only establish wise
laws and measures for a transitory life ; — not the messen-
gers of salvation, who labor to prepare us for eternal
felicity. And is it strange that thus it should be so 1 The
world knew" not to estimate the love and the labors of the
Son of God ! " Therefore, the world knoweth us not, be-
cause it knew him not." But, brethren, it is better for us
it should be so, for thus we escape the assault of temptations
which might prove too strong for our strength. Let the
world then form its own estimate, and let us patient-
ly endure, and let us wait our reward. And we can
endure, we can wait, if faith come in to our aid. Faith
shall brighten our vision, and give us to see, while looking
through time's dim vapors, that " our witness is in heaven,
and our record is on high.*' Faith shall open our ears,
and give us to hear, by anticipation, the music of that

528 VALEDICTORY OF ELDER A. BROADDUS.

blessed plaudit, " Well done, good and faithful servants !
enter into the joy of your Lord !"

Young soldiers of the cross, may you <be strengthened
in all the labors and trials that may attend your progress !

"Far fi'om a world of grief and sin,
With God eternally shut in" — shut in !

attir^m aJmEHuB's f ulBHrtnrti*

At the recent session of the Dover Association, this
venerable and beloved minister of Christ, now of the
Rappahannock Association, was present, and mingled in
the deliberations. But it would seem that remembrances
of the absent and the. dead, departed years and foded
scenes, came clustering around him more busily than the
living tones and motions of those now on the stage. In
the midst of the crowd and its distractions, he sat some
time absorbed, and penciled a brief valedictory address,
which he read when business was done.

A classical mind, while listening, might have thought of
Nestor and his silvery tones, or of the Olympic race alluded
to by the Apostle Pa«l, when old champions were placed
at the goal to encourage and crown young victors fresh
on the field.

Filial affection is always obligatory. In worthy succes-
sors, never is it more a duty and a pleasure than when
exercised by young ministers towards those who have

*I have thought it best to give, along with this Valedictory, the
editorial remarks which accompanied it on its original publication
in the Religious Herald. This address was delivered in October,
1845.— Ed.

530 ANDREW BROADDUS'S VALEDICTORY.

borne the biirden and heat of the day. May God bless
our Fathers !

At the request of pastors from this city, the address
was kindly placed at their disposal. It was to the follow-
ing effect :

Brother Moderator : — On a former occasion, when the
Association was held with Beulah church, before the divi-
sion of the body, and when, honored with the office which
you, sir, now fill, I took my leave in a little farewell ad-
dress, I made no calculation — I did not think it probable
that I should live to see several sessions pass off, and meet
you again at this time. But as God has seen proper to
lengthen out my life to this period, I feel a desire to be in-
dulged once more in a few parting words.

Brother Moderator, and brethren of this Association,
you see in me the oldest surviving minister belonging to the
old Dover Association. I am now far advanced in my 75th
year. But, have I not reason to fear, that I must adopt
the language of the old patriarch, concerning " the days of
the years of my pilgrimage," when, shaking his hoary
locks, he replied to a question of the Egyptian monarch,
" Few and evil have the days of the years of my life
beenl"

I remember, sir, the patriarchal twiies of this Associa-
tion:— the times when the white-headed Ford, with his
sweet and venerable countenance ; the grave and sociable
Webber, with his plain and homely manner; the pious
and primitive Greenwood, with his meek and affectionate
deportment; the energetic and majestic Lunsford, with his
lofty flights of heart- thrilling eloquence ; — these, with others
that might be named, beside several nearer your own
times and within your own recollection — the strong-
minded, laborious, and beloved Semple ; the gifted and

ANDREW BROADDUS'S VALEDICTORY. 531

zealous Staughton, and others of their day ; — all these come
within the range of my recollection, and pass in review
before my mind's eye. Where are they now ? Gone,
sir ! gone from this mortal stage ! gone to receive the rich
reward of their labors on earth, and swell the triumphs of
the redeemed throng in the world of bliss !

Yes, sir, they are gone — all gone ! and here am I yet,
with only here and there a coeval of former times, " few
and far between ;" here am I, still " lingering around these
mortal shores," and yet left to speak to you, my brethren,
once more, a parting word !

But though these laborers of former years have changed
this mortal for an immortal state, having taken their place
in the world of spirits, is it quite certain, brethren, that
they are cut off from all knowledge of the affairs of the
church militant, or have ceased to feel an interest in the
concerns of our common Redeemer's kingdom here on
earth 1 Nay, is not the contrary probable rather ? Where
the apostle speaks, Heb. xii. 1, of the "great cloud of
witnesses" with which the Christian racers were surrounded,
he alludes, obviously, to the faithful departed, mentioned
in the foregoing chapter, to that bright roll of Old Testa-
ment worthies in whom was exemplified the power of a
living faith. These, he seems to represent as bending from
their thrones of light in the skies, ardent and interested
spectators of the Christian race. This is surely an anima-
ting reflection, that those who were once engaged in the
same struggles, and have triumphantly finished their
course, present themselves to us, as witnesses at once of
the power of faith, and of our progress in the same heaven-
ly race.

Most of you, brethren, are either in the younger stage
of life, or not past middle age. Since the former times to

532 ANDREW BROADDUS'S VALEDICTORY.

which I have made allusion, the field of labor, both at home
and abroad, has been greatly enlarged : and now, with
an extended vision, we see that " there remaineth yet
very much land to be possessed." Let me hope, dear
brethren, that so far from having your spirits crushed
by the increasing responsibility which attends the
opening and enlarging of this field, you will rather feel
animated by the prospect : — that your courage will rise
and keep pace with the growing view.: and that, " strong
in the strength which God supplies," you will cheerfully
say, with faithful Caleb, " Let us go up at once and pos-
sess the land, for we are well able to overcome it."

In conclusion, brethren, let me point your attention to
the end of the race : let me invite you to anticipate the
victory which awaits you at the close of the warfare. See,
held out in the hand of your great Captain, the unfading
diadem, with which the brow of the conqueror shall be
encircled; and hear his encouraging voice, "Be thou faith-
ful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

Brethren, grace, mercy and peace be with you all !

fnttrtt.'

ON THE FATAL CONFLAGRATION OF THE RICHMOND THEATRE, ON THE
NIGHT OF DECEMBER 26tH, 181 l.t

Amusement cheats the hours — they swiftly fly :
Her eje, her listening ear, attention lends,

'Till sable midnight, from the darkening sky,
Her silent empire o'er the world extends.

Silent ! ah no ! — the horrid cry of fire

Wakes from enchantment deep the brilliant throng ;
And smoke, and bickering flames, and sparkles dire

Burst forth, and roll the hollow vaults along.

What language shall disclose, what tongue shall tell,
What heart conceive, the horrors of the hour ?

When in promiscuous, fiery ruin fell.

Sage wisdom, youth, and beauty's blooming flower ! M

* Beside the poetry here given, there are two or three sacred
songs, from the pen of Mr. Broaddus, in the " Virginia Selection,"
which seem unsuited to this work. — Ed.

t The awful event, of which these lines are commemorative, is
deeply impressed on the memories of the older inhabitants of Rich-
mond, Virginia. Strangers, and the younger race, as they pass
down Broad-street, in Richmond, are reminded of this fearful
catastrophe, by " the sad, sepulchral monument," in the vestibule
of the "Monumental Church," which now stands on the site of
the destroyed theatre. An account of this tragical occurrence may
be found in "Howe's History of Virginia." — Ed.

534 POETRY.

The flames, with dismal glare, and rushing sound,
And wrapt in smothering vapor, urgg their way ;

The blackening volume swells, and rolling round.
Spreads, as it passes, death and deep dismay.

"Where were ye, pitying angels, in that hour.
When these poor victims lost their vital breath ?

Stood ye aloof, obedient to that Power,

Who made the flames His ministers of death ?

What mingled screams resound within the walls !

The cry of wild afi'right, of dark despair !
What grief without, what agonizing calls,

Eing shrill, and doleful, through the midnight air I

See yonder lovely form : at close of even.

Arrayed in beauty's smiling charms she came, .

Like Hesper, beaming on the brow of Heaven,
Now wrapt in vapor dense, and smouldering flame.

Here cries the parent — there the brother calls,
And urged by desperation, fly to save :

Ah, vain attempt ! — the lovely victim falls,
And sinks with numbers in a burning grave.

The work of death is done — the flaming pyre
Sinks down in ashes, mingling with the dead,

While fierce combustion folds his wings of fire,
And sternly slumbers on the scorching bed.

The weeping night withdraws her shadowy train,
And ether kindles with the rising morn :

But here, alas ! a deeper night shall reign,
'Till the bright resurrection-day shall dawn.

How changed the scene, since last the golden ray
Of parting Hght on Richmond's turrets play'd :

When hummed the cadence sweet of closing day,
And pleasure fondly hailed the advancing shade.

POETRY.

535

"Where pleasure's temple lately met the eye,
The sad, sepulchral monument shall rise,

And tell the pensive traveler, passing by.
How frail the hope of man below the skies.

Struck with the view, the conscious muse forbears
To touch the right of Nature's sovereign Lord,

Yet humbly claims, with sympathizing tears.

To wake, with trembling hand, the warning chord.

Shall God in terror rouse a slumb'ring land,
And guilty man in vain receive the blow?

Nor humbly bow beneath his righteous hand,
Nor humbly seek his righteous will to know ?

That will, would'st thou, 0 guilty man, attain,
Behold the volume sent by Love divine !

Retire and search, nor fear to search in vain

Where wisdom's brightest beams in mercy shine.

Go, look to Him, who sent the word of love;

Gro, learn of Him who came the lost to save;
Believe, and find your load of guilt removed ;

Beheve, and look with triumph on the grave.

And when the mighty seraph shall apply
His flaming torch to Nature's funeral pyre,

To heavenly bliss, on wings of rapture fl}^,
And leave, unwept, this earthly globe on fire.

Carolinus.

536 POETRY.

VALEDICTORY LINES,

FOR MR. RUFUS CHANDLER, ON HIS LEAVING HOME, IN THE SPRING OF
1827, TO TRAVEL NORTHWARD, IN QUEST OF HEALTH.

Companion of my life, once more receive the sad farewell !
The parting pangs my spirits feel, these Unes but feebly tell :
To leave the dear domestic group, and far away to roam : — ■
What objects shall supply the place of sweet beloved home ?

But while to distant northern climes I trace the lengthening road.
And mountains rise, and rivers roll, 'twixt me and my abode, —
" TJntraverd" still my heart remains, through all the lonely way,
And, hngering round my own abode, my best affections stay.

There, there to Fancy's eye portray'd, your image I shall view.
And, flying swift on Fancy's wing, shall place myself with you :
How sweetly smile these little ones, while seated on my knees !
And 0 ! what sounds are those I hear upon the rising breeze ?

The careless laugh, the mingled words : — I catch the distant noise.
And see, returning home from school, my much-lov'd little boys :
They rush along with prattling glee, and mount with hasty feet.
Enter with eager steps, and make the httle group complete.

Thus fond imagination dreams ; but, ah ! the vision flies !
Reality obtrusive comes, and other objects rise ;
In vain those dear domestic scenes around my fancy play ; —
My wife, my httle ones are there, and I am far away.

Then, if a sigh my bosom heave, and if a tear should fall,
As on the distant place I think which holds my earthly all,
I'U blush not as I wipe that tear, but make my just appeal
To everysoft indulgent heart — the heart that knows to feel.

POETRY. 537

But why despond ? and why resign this aching heart to wo ?
Since God — the God in whom I trust, will be where'er I go :
To Him myself I would commend, and all I leave behind ;—
And may you, in his pow'r and grace, your endless portion jBnd.

When Time, some tedious months around, has wing'd his silent

flight.
We hope to meet again in Hfe, and greet the welcome sight ;
Meanwhile my best remembrance waits on these sweet ones and

you:
— The parting hour draws on apace ! — Adieu ! my dears, adieu !

THE WANDERING SINNER.

Restless thy spirit, poor wandering sinner,
Restless and roving — 0, come to thy home I

Return to the arms — to the bosom of mercy;
The Saviour of sinners invites thee to come.

Darkness surrounds thee, and tempests are rising :
Fearful and dangerous the path thou hast trod ;

But mercy shines forth in the rainbow of promise,
To welcome the wanderer home to his God.

Peace to the storm in thy soul shall be spoken,
Guilt from thy bosom be banish'd away ;

And heaven's sweet breezes, o'er death's rolHng billows,
Shall waft thee at last to the regions of day.

But, oh ! if regardless of God's gracious warning,

Afar from his favor your soul must remove.
May you never hear-

538 POETRY.

THE CHRISTIAN WARFARE.

Soldiers of the cross, arise !

Lo ! your Captain from the skies

Holding forth the ghttering prize,

Calls to victory.
Fear not, though the battle lower ;
Firmly stand the trying hour ;
Stand the tempter's utmost power ;

Spurn his slavery.

Who the cause of Christ would yield ?
Who would leave the battle-field ?
Who would cast away his shield ? —

Let him basely go.
Who for Zion's King will stand ?
Who will join the faithful baiid?
Let him come with heart and hand —

Let him face the foe.

By the mercies of our God !
By Immanuel's streaming blood,
When alone for us he stood,

Ne'er give up the strife ;
Ever, to the latest breath,
Hark to what your Captain saith :
" Be thou faithful unto death ;

" Take the crown of Hfe."

By the woes which rebels prove,
By the bhss of holy love,
Sinners, seek the joys above;

Sinners, turn and Hve.
Here is freedom worth the name ;
Tyrant sin is put to shame ;
Grace inspires the hallo w'd flame ;

God the crown will give.

POETRY. 539

ALBUM.

The soul is an Album : — how spotless and fair

From the hand of its Maker it came!
When man, fresh created, breathed Eden's sweet air,

And knew not pollution or shame.

The leaves were the faculties, fitly design'd

Th' impressions of good to receive ;
And beauteously, on the first page of the mind,

Was engrav'd, '"Be obedient and live."

Ah! the fingers of Satan! what scrawls have they made,
Where angels the lines would have trac'd ;

The recreant spirit its trust has betray'd,
And the Album — how sadly defac'd 1

What chemical power, great Maker Divine,

These blots from my soul can remove ?
0, purify ! sanctify ! — write every line

In th' unfading liquid of love.

APOLOGY,

FOR INSERTING BORROWED PIECES IN AN ALBUM.

Come ! try again ! — !N"o ! 'twill not do —
To tune my harp I try in vain ;

The cheerful chords are broken, too.
And none but dismal drones remain.

Long since, upon a willow's bough.
In mournful mood my harp I hung;

I ne'er could boast its power — and now,
Alas I alas I 'tis half unstrunor.

540 POETRY.

Then let me, from the sons of song,
In borrow' d strains the treat prepare ;

While inspiration pours along,

In notes that well may charm the ear.

CONSOLATION IN DEEP DISTRESS.

Soon shall my dreary journey end,

My bosom cease to sigh ;
The darksome night rolls off apace,
The rosy dawn is nigh :

The morning star

Shines from afar,
Adieu all earthly hopes and fears ;

I soon shall rise

Above the skies.
And wipe away my briny tears.*

* Beside the pieces of poetry here given, many others were doubt-
less written by Mr. Broaddus ; but being of a fugitive character,
they have not fallen into my hands. These will serve as speci-
mens.— Ed.

apiiBiiHx.

ELDER ANDREW BROADDUS.*

Richmond College^ December 15th, 1848.

Mr. Editor : — I have recently heard, with profound sen-
sibility, of the demise of our venerable brother, Andrew
Broaddus. Although I anticipate from the denomination
of which he was so long and so prominently a member,
some public testimony to his high moral and intellectual
worth, yet I feel a strong impulse to furnish to the readers of
the Herald a brief expression of my estimate of his charac-
ter. I have known Mr. Broaddus for about thirty years,
as intimately as the disparity of our ages and the remote-
ness of our localities would allow. During the first year
of this acquaintance, I was a member of his family, and
a participant in his instructions. While, therefore, my
opportunities for judging of his character have been minute
and ample, there has yet been no pledge of friendship,

* Beside this notice by President Ryland, and the succeeding ex-
tract from an editorial article in the Religious Herald, there were
published several other notices of Mr. Broaddus's life and death, in
both the religious and political papers of the state — resolutions of
regret by all the churches to which he preached, and others who
were intimately acquainted with him — obituary notices (on their
minutes) by the General and Rappahannock Associations, &c. — Ed.

542 APPENDIX.

and no intimacy of communion, that can blind my judg-
ment, and tempt me to give too high a coloring to the
portrait.

After hearing a great number of speakers both on sacred
and secular subjects, 1 have formed the conclusion, that
Mr. Broaddus, during the days of his meridian strength, and
in his happiest efforts, was the most perfect orator that I
have ever known. For the last fifteen years of his life, there
has been a manifest decline in his intellectual displays.
The maturity of his knowledge, and his nice discrimination
of truth, added to his humble piety, always rendered him
interesting. But the vivacity, the pathos, the magic power
of his eloquence, had measurably departed.* Hundreds
of persons who have heard him discourse within this period,
have been disappointed. He has not sustained the repu-
tation which he had previously established. Even before
that period there was another and a still more fruitful
source of disappointment to his occasional hearers. When
strangers listened to his exhibitions of the gospel, it was
generally on some extraordinary occasion, — some anniver-
sary that called together a large concourse of people.
Expectation was raised, curiosity was excited, and that
was precisely the time for him to falter. His nervous
diffidence frequently gained so complete a mastery over
him as to fill him with a real horror of preaching. Often on
such occasions have the united and urgent entreaties of his
most cherished friends failed to get him on the stand.
And when by such solicitations he was prevailed on to
preach, often has his timidity so far abridged his talents,

* Persons who attended Mr. Broaddus's ministry regularly, during
the latter part of his life, differed from President Ryland, in refer-
ence to the matter here mentioned. There was less originality,
but more pathos, in Mr. B.'s preaching towards the close of life. — Ed.

APPENDIX. 543

that those who knew him well would not judge him by
that effort, and those who did not know him, formed an
erroneous conception of his mental power. When, how-
ever, he did rise superior to this constitutional infirmity,
and shake off all the trammels of despondency and fear,
those who hung on his lips soon felt themselves under the
influence of a master-spirit, who brought them into a volun-
tary, because delightful captivity. There was such an apt-
ness of illustration, such a delicacy and correctness of
taste, such a flow of generous sympathy, and withal so
much transparent simplicity in his eloquence, that it at
once riveted the attention and moved the heart.

His discourses were rich in instruction. His first aim
evidently was to be understood by the feeblest capacity.
Even a child could scarcely fail to comprehend his general
trains of thought. If he was ever tedious, it was easy to
perceive that it proceeded from an amiable desire to be
understood by all. Possessed of a sprightly imagination,
he employed it to elucidate and enforce divine truth rather
than to excite the admiration of the vulgar in intellect. His
sermons were not moral essays, nor were they stately
orations, neither were they distinguished by artistic struc-
ture and symmetry of parts. They were chiefly expository
of the sacred writings. He always possessed sufficient
unity of plan to indicate the purpose, or to suggest the
title of a discourse, but his genius hated to be cramped by
scholastic rules. He explained his text in a most able
manner, and then deduced from it such general doctrines
as would naturally present themselves to a cultivated
mind. Throughout his discourse he introduced passages
of scripture in such a manner as to reflect new light on
them, while they were made to contribute to his main
design. It were to be wished that in this respect he had

544 APPENDIX.

more imitators. Many preachers deliver elegant disqui-
sitions, or glowing harangues, on religious subjects, but
they do not expound the sacred text.

Mr. Broaddus rarely addressed an audience without
causing them to have a clearer insight into some familiar
passage than they had previously. He was a close student
of the Bible, and had a felicitous talent for commenting on
its important revelations.

The writer of this little tribute to his memory, will ever
recall with gratitude the several portions of scripture on
which light was thus shed. The illustration was so striking
that it cannot be erased — so simple, as to excite surprise
that it had not occurred spontaneously, and so characteristic
as to convey an inherent evidence of its originality. He
had a native talent for painting and poetry, and those who
heard him could easily detect it. He made them see
things so vividly, that they often felt as if they were not
hearing a description, but beholding the very objects in
living colors spread out before the eye in all their elusive
force.

Another trait in his oratory was, that it was natural.
He had unquestionably a genius for every work that de-
mands refined taste for its execution, but he cultivated that
genius by varied and long-continued study, and thus
reached the highest of all rhetorical attainments — the art of
concealing art. He seemed to divest himself of the formal
air often assumed in the pulpit, discoursed in a conversa-
tional tone as with a party of select friends, awakened the
attention even of those who were not especially interested
in tlie subject, and made them feel that they were person,
ally concerned. He looked into the eyes of the assem-
bly with such an individualizing, yet meek penetration,
that each hearer flxncied himself as much addressed as if

APPENDIX. 545

he were the entire audience. I have frequently heard from
half a dozen persons who sat in different parts of the house,
the remark at the close of a meeting, " Mr. Broaddus
preached his whole sermon to me." And this insulating
effect was not owing so much to the substance as to the
manner of his address. He was not a close, searching,
severe, exclusive sort of preacher as to his doctrines. His
tendency was to encourage, to soothe, to allure. He sought
out the sincere, but desponding believer, and, by a lucid
exhibition of the system of divine mercy and a nice analysis
of the character of the true Christian, gave him a basis for
consolation. But it was his natural manner that brought
him into immediate contact with his hearers, annihilating
all formality. He was stripped of the veil of an artificial
delivery, and they forgot the publicity of the occasion, by
reason of the directness of the appeal. The nearness of
the relation that he sustained to his auditory explains in
part his bashfulness in early ministerial life. In the first
several years of his public career, he sat in his chair to
preach. Having gathered his neighbors around him, he
occupied the evening in religious exercises. He read select
portions of scripture, and expounded them in a familiar
style. As the congregations increased, and his confidence
bec£y,ne more firm, he began his remarks in that posture,
and rose to his feet when he felt the kindlings of his theme.
This early custom probably had some influence on his talent
for exposition. It certainly contributed also to the confir-
m.ation of the speaker in the natural manner. It must not
be inferred from this statement that his style was coarse,
or that his gestures were inelegant, or that his general ap-
pearance was devoid of seriousness. The contrary was
emphatically true. His style was always chaste, some-
times rising to the beautiful. His gesticulation was appro-

546 APPENDIX.

priate, easy and impressive, never violent, over-wrought
and pompous. His manner, though remote from sancti-
moniousness, was anything but flippant. His voice had
nothing of the whine, nothing of the affected solemnity
of tone about it. It was musical, flexible, and capacious.
His whole carriage in the pulpit was. mild and graceful,
without his seeming to aim at it, or to be conscious of the
fact. In a word, it was natural — it was such as good sense,
unaffected piety and cultivated taste, would spontaneously
produce.

Another trait of his oratory was his skill in the pathetic.
He knew well how to touch the delicate chords of passion
in the human heart, but he did not abuse his skill by con-
stant exercise. The main body of his discourse was didac-
tic. He gave the sense of the text, developed the doctrine,
enforced the practical duty. But occasionally he unsealed
the fountains of feeling in the soul. Often have I felt the
thrill of his eloquence, and witnessed its melting power on
an audience. It came unexpectedly, without any parade,
and his hearers resigned themselves up to his control.
The most touching parts of his sermons were the episodes.
He seemed to have just discovered a new track of thought,
and for a moment to luxuriate in its freshness and fertility.
His hearers willingly left the main road with hin^ and
sympathized intensely in all his emotions. They knew
that he had a right to their hearts, and that he would not
abuse his privilege. His sermons were not one uniformly
sustained appeal to the passions. He attacked them
obliquely. Having first convinced the judgment, he found
a ready avenue to the affections, and thus influenced the
will. Hence it was often the case that a single sentence
produced a subduing effect. All that was said before was
but a preparation for that one sentence. A moderate

APPENDIX. * 547

charge of gunpowder will more effectually cleave a rock,
if by deep boring you introduce the explosive agent far
into its bosom, than ten times the quantity kindled on its
surface. Mr. Broaddus knew exactly when to touch the
passions, and unless he perceived that the mind was pre-
pared, he was careful not to attempt the delicate task.
When he did attempt it, he rarely failed.

An important question may here be propounded : Was
his ministry successful in winning souls to Christ 1 I am
happy to answer in the affirmative. He labored in the
cause for more than a half a century, probably for sixty
years. His congregations were always large, his churches
prosperous, and, though his ministry was better adapted to
edify than to awaken, many persons were converted through
his instrumentality. Still I am free to acknowledge, that
his success was not commensurate with his talents. Men
of less learning, less piety, and of less original acuteness,
have often been more effective. And why 1 Because they
possessed more courage and energy. The great interests
of the church and of the world require decision and perse-
verance. To accomplish a great measure of success in any
noble enterprise, we must throw ourselves into it, body,
soul and spii-it ; must derive new motives to activity from
the very difficulties that oppose us, and, confident of the
strength of our faculties when guided by truth and animated
with love, we must anticipate and labor for large results.
" Attempt great things, expect great things." Our vene-
rable brother yielded too much to timidity. He needed
some one to push him onward. He was frequently absent
from the great Baptist anniversaries, where his counsels
would have been valuable, and his labors highly apprecia-
ted. This was not occasioned by an unsocial temper, nor
by indolence, nor by any hostility, or even indifference to-

548 APPENDIX.

the objects that claimed attention, but by a morbid sensi-
bility that shrunk from exposure. Could he have gone to
these meetings and seen and heard every thing, while he
himself remained silent and invisible, I think he would
have attended them. But his deservedly high standing
always put him in requisition, and he was driven to the
alternative of either taking a prominent part, or resisting
the importunities of beloved friends. To avoid this alter-
native, 1 doubt not, he often sought and found some reason
for remaining at home. The same disposition of mind
evinced itself in his regular pastoral avocations. He
seemed to court obscurity, to cherish no desire to be a
leader. So depressed in spirit at times as to fancy that any
'^^ortof a preacher would be more useful and acceptable than
himself, he would put him up as a substitute in his own
pulpit. This extreme reluctance to perform the offices of
his profession was caused partly by nervous debility, and
partly by the peculiar texture of his mind. Far be it from
me to intimate any censure against so excellent a man.
Fidelity to truth only requires me to say, that he would
have been more effective had he possessed either less
exquisiteness of mind, or more strength of body. The union
of fine sensibility, and of a disordered nervous system,
rendered him too liable to be disconcerted, and poorly
adapted him to elbow his way through the rough world.
As a disciplinarian, he was deficient, not from any im-
perfection in his own standard of rectitude, nor from any
delinquency in his own conduct, but from the want of
authority. He had not the heart to inflict a wound on the
feelings of a child, or even to retort when his own feelings
were unjustly wounded. His intellectual apparatus was
thrown out of order by incidents that ordinary men would
have scarcely noticed. And, when to this temperament

APPENDIX. 549

was added a prolonged series of domestic afflictions that can-
not here be mentioned — afflictions that would have appalled
the stoutest heart — that quickened into acute and pro-
tracted agony his sensitive nature — the wonder is that he
was not overwhelmed. Nothing but high moral principle,
a stern conviction of duty, and a noble desire to please
God and profit men, could have so long and so honorably
sustained him in his pastoral labors.

As an author, Mr. Broaddus deserves the grateful re-
membrance of the Christian public. In his early life he
composed a Bible History for the use of schools — a work
admirably suited, from the purity of its style, and its clear
and chronological arrangement of the leading facts of the
Bible, to the improvement of youth. At the request of
the Dover Association he published a popular Hymn
Book, called the " Dover Selection." This was followed
by another compilation, known as the " Virginia Selection."
Both these volumes have imparted edification to thousands
who delight in the songs of Zion. He was a frequent con-
tributor to the religious literature of the day, by writing,
for the Herald, and other periodicals, articles that were
always read with eagerness. His principal controversial
essays were called out by the opinions of Mr. A. Camp-
bell. Over the signature of Paulinus he wrote several able
letters on the subject of Divine Influence. He afterwards
published an examination of Mr. Campbell's theory of
baptismal regeneration. This work, it is believed, has
done much to guard our churches against that pernicious
dogma. As a writer, his style is easy and accurate ; as a
controversialist, he is mild, argumentative and ingenious.
He seems to be free from ambition, to write for the sake
of truth rather than of victory, and to be anxious not to
magnify the difference between the two sides of the con.

650 APPENDIX.

troversy. If he does not convince his opponent, he is so
courteous as to conciliate his personal esteem, and to soften
the asperity of the contest.

Mr. Broaddus was a close observer, and an ardent ad-
mirer of the beautiful in nature and in art. Deriving
much of his happiness from such studies, he has left in the
specimens of painting and poetry, with which he amused
himself in his leisure hours, ample indications of what his
genius could have effected, had it been consecrated to these
pursuits.

It was a source of real pleasure to his friends, that this
amiable man enjoyed, in the evening of his days, a delight-
ful tranquillity. The thorns in his flesh had been removed.
He had married a lady that studied his happiness — that,
feeling a lively interest in the cause of Christ, and knowing
how much her husband could do to assist that cause,
accompanied him to places of preaching, and did much to
animate him for the w^ork to which he felt himself so in-
adequate. His last sermon was delivered, while on a brief
excursion, to the First African Church, in Richmond. His
text on that occasion was characteristic of his general style
of preaching : " Strengthen ye the weak hands, and con-
firm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful
heart, be strong, fear not. Behold ! your God will come
with vengeance, even God with a recompense, he will come
and save you." He contemplated the servants of God as
having a work to do, a race to run, and a battle to fight.
His feeble frame, his advanced age, (being in his seventy-
eighth year,) and- his ripened piety, brought forcibly to my
remembrance a parallel scripture on w^hich he had expatia-
ted seventeen years before on the occasion of the death of
Ms friend and coadjutor, the devoted Semple : — " I have
foaght a good fight ; I have finished my course ; I have kept

APPENDIX. 551

the faith." I -will close this imperfect sketch by appro-
priating to him the eloquent words with which he concluded
his eulogy on his friend : — " And now I am done with the
character : and here we are about to bid our lamented and
beloved brother Broaddus a solemn adieu !" He is gone 1
no more shall we see him here among us ! No more shall
the eyes, now darkened wdth the shadow of death, rest on
the sacred page of this pulpit Bible ! No more shall the
lips, now sealed up in silence, speak forth to you the mes-
sage of life! But long and deep in the heart shall his
memory be embalmed. And hark ! there is a voice
that tells me we shall see him agahi ! Though death
presses heavily on him, and waves over him his iron
sceptre, it is but a short-lived reign which he holds, and
the immortal Judge comes to release his servant — all his
servants, from the dominion of the tyrant ! Yes, brother
of my soul, I shall see thee again." Broaddus will " arise.
All the saints shall arise, dressed in immortal robes, for
the marriage of the Lamb. The chain of death shall be.?
broken, the prison doors of the grave shall burst asunder,
and the redeemed shall come forth to sing the song of
triumph, and gather around the throne in deathless felicity."

R. Ryland.

€\ln anhBin fouMu^.

BY THE EDITOR OF THE RELIGIOUS HERALD.

The Virginia Baptist churches have sent forth many able
men into the ministry, distinguished by their zeal, ability,
and eloquence in their Master's cause ; but amongst them
all, we think it probable that no one was superior to Elder
B. Indeed, we doubt, that he has had an equal in the
Baptist denomination in the United States within the pre-
sent century. Of our Virginia worthies, David Thomas
and Jeremiah Walker were distinguished in their pulpit
efforts for vigor of thought and energy of expression.
Lunsford entranced his audience by lofty conceptions and
burning zeal ; whilst Staughton subdued his by a pathos
which mastered and controlled the feelings of his hearers.
Jeremiah Moore and John Williams were argumentative
and ingenious ; able logicians and energetic speakers.
Kerr possessed a power of paintmg, which gave life-like
reality to his descriptive scenes, and enchained for hours
the attention of an audience. Whilst in some one pro-
perty others have excelled him, Elder B. exhibited a happy
combination of various excellencies, which placed him in
the foremost rank of orators and divines. His voice was

APPENDIX. 553

one of great melody and compass, over which he
had a perfect mastery. It could second his more lofty
flights, or affect the sensibilities by its melting pathos.
He had, by attentive study, acquired a graceful and easy
action in the pulpit, which to his auditory had the appear-
ance of being unstudied and natural. His gestures never
violated good taste, being simple and expressive. His
style was formed from a careful perusal of the finest and
purest models in the language. Gifted with a fine taste,
and a vivid perception of the beautiful in nature and art,
he treasured up, from the writings of poets, moralists and
divines, all their varied excellencies of thought and expres-
sion, in order to illustrate and adorn his heavenly message.
His language in the pulpit was critically correct ; a pure
speech, appropriate, elevated and expressive. In this re-
spect he was eminently serviceable as a model to young
preachers. His conceptions of truth were luminous, and
the language in which they were embodied was equally
clear and classical. He had acquired, by diligent and ex-
tensive reading, a large amount of information, evincing
an acquaintance with most branches of human knowledge,
which no one, knowing his limited opportunities in early
life, could have anticipated. But from the time he engaged
in the work of the ministry, he applied his whole soul to
mental improvement. From every source he gathered
knowledge and understanding; and his genius and intuitive
perception of what was elevated in thought and beautiful in
expression, enabled him to cull the choicest flowers, make
them his own, and to use them to advantage in clothing
his own ideas in a garb, simple, chaste, dignified, and emi-
nently happy.

Of his mode of sermonizing, Elder Ryland has given in his
sketch, a correct and lucid description. Elder B. possessed
24

554 APPENDIX.

the art of making scripture illustrate scripture. His forte
evidently lay in giving a clear scriptural exposition of the
meaning and import of his text. In his introductions he
was frequently very happy. His illustrations were always
pertinent. His deductions were logical and sound ; having
a profound reverence for the Word of God, he never in-
dulged in flmciful interpretations.

Whilst enforcing the teachings of his text, he would
occasionally turn aside from the discussion, and present to
his enraptured hearers some glowing and beautiful descrip-
tion of the glories of the unseen world, or the rich consola-
tions the gospel affords to the Christian in this probationary
state. Endowed by nature with fancy and imagination of
a high order, and these gifts being sedulously cultivated
and improved, he enlisted the feelings of his hearers by his
pathos, engaged their attention by his clear exhibitions of
divine truth, and won them to wisdom's ways by the unfold-
iugs of a brilliant imagination, high descriptive powers, and
sublime thoughts, controlled by good taste, and embodied
in language which enabled all to see their power and
beauty, and to derive pleasure and instruction from the
speaker.

As a writer, Elder B. had no equal in our state. Others
have reasoned perhaps more logically ; some have evinced
a3 ample knowledge, and as vivid powers of descrip-
tion. But in clearness of expression, critical exact-
ness, correct description, lucid expositions, power of
analysis, chasteness lu style. Elder B. was without a
rival. In his various controversies with Elder Campbell,
he exhibited great critical acuteness, and rendered essen-
tial service to the Baptist cause. His wily and adroit
antagonist, a man of war from his youth up, found an op-
ponent- in him, whom he could neither foil nor gainsay.
His Historv of the Bible is a little work which deserves

APPENDIX. 555

to be better known. It is an ingenious, perspicuous and
lucid treatise, adapted to youthful readers, but which may
be perused with profit by all classes. His Dover and
Virginia Selections of Hymns have passed through numer-
ous editions, and the latter is now used by a large majority
of the Baptist churches in the state.

In all the amenities and courtesies of life. Elder B. was
a pattern of excellence — the beau ideal of a Christian gen-
tleman. Affable and courteous alike to all with whom he
had intercourse, he spoke with equal gentleness and kind-
ness to his domestics as to his equals. Dignified, courteous,
affable, he attached his neighbors and friends to him by the
strongest ties. No man was probably more universally
respected and beloved. As a Christian minister, he
adorned his profession by a holy life and circumspect
deportment.

Though possessed of talents of a high order, he was not
one of those minds which can move and sway others at its
will, and which stamps its impress on its ow^n and succeed-
ing generations. He was deficient in some of the elements
of greatness. He lacked decision and energy, exhibiting
rather the mildness of Melancthon than the bold vigor of
Luther — the grace and majesty of Virgil rather than the
strength of Homer. He was constitutionally timid. He
possessed a shrinking sensitiveness, which led him to seek
the retirement of private life, rather than to engage in its
active pursuits.

This timidity led him to shun anniversary and other
meetings, where a numerous assembly would be congre-
gated ; or, if present, deterred him from taking a part in
the proceedings. Hence he never left the State, nor ex-
tended his tours to any great distance from home. Could he
have overcome this diffidence, — this nervous sensibility, —

55o APPENDIX.

his iiiflaence in the denomination and on the world would
have been much greater. But it was too strongly entwined
with eveiy thought. and emotion of his inner man to be
brought in subjection to his will. It was frequently with
great diiriculty he could be induced to preach at the annual
meetings of our associations. At one at which we were
present with him, lie read a chapter, selected his text, and
then sPvt down in the pulpit, declaring that he could not
preach. And when he preached on these occasions, at times,
from this timidity he could not do his subject or himself
justice. He was fettered, and lost his presence of mind ;
and strangers, whom his celebrity as a pulpit orator had
attracted to hear him, received an mifavorable impression,
and returned disappointed, concluding he had been ex-
travagantly overrated.

City life, active pursuits in which mind must con-
flict with mind, and large meetings, were not congenial
to his disposition and habits. He felt at ease only in
his 0"svn pulpit. It was there, amidst those with whom
he was familiar, that he poured forth those melodious
strains, uttered those shrewd and felicitous expositions,
adorned with striking illustrations, and embellished with
lofty flights into the regions of flincy and imagination,
which enraptured whilst they instructed his hearers. As a
social companion, he excelled. His conversation blended
the agreeable with the usefj.l, varied, pointed and intel-
lectual. Frequently he would select a passage of scripture
and throw a flood of light upon it. This was especially
the case in social parties at large meetings. A group
would congregate around him, and listen with admiration
to the words of wisdom which fell from his lips.

We have thus feebly delineated some of his many ex-
cellencies, and adverted to his deficiencies. The latter will

APPENDIX, 557

soon fade from remembrance, whilst future generations
will continue to revere his m.emory as one of the brightest
ornaments of the Virginia Baptist ministry.

% -S- vV % *

His last days were spent amidst the scenes of his early life,
cheered by the converse of a small remnant of those who had
entered the Christian pilgrimage with him in the days of his
youth, and a large number of the new generation introduced
by his instrumentality into the fellowship of the church.
Here, revered by the community for his talents and vir-
tues, beloved by his brethren as a minister and man, he
closed his eyes in death as calmly and tranquilly as the
sun sinks beneath the horizon at eve, in an unclouded sum-
mer day.

THE END.

LEWIS COLBY S TUBLICATIONS.

THE BAPTIST LIBRARY, A republication of Standard Baptist
Works. Edited by Rev. Messrs. C, G. Somers, W. R. Williams,
and L. L. Hill. One volume, royal octavo, ^S 50. Consisting of
over 1300 pages, and embracing tlie following works : Westlake's
General View of Baptism. Wilson's Scripture Manual and Miscel-
lany. Booth's Vindication of Baptists. Biography of Samuel
Stillman, D.D. Biography of Samuel Harris. Biography of Lewis
Lunsford. Backus' History of the Baptists. The Watery War.
Pengilly's Scripture Guide to Bnptism, Fuller on Communion,
Booth's p£edobaptism Examined. Dr. Cox's Reply to Dwight. Bun-
yan's Grace Abounding. The Backslider ; by Fuller. Hall on the
Ministry. Hall's Address to Carey. Hall on Modern Infidelity. Bun-
yan's Holy War. Hall's Review of Foster. The Gospel Worthy of
all Acceptation. Peter and Benjamin. Prof. Ripley's Review of Grif-
fin on Communion. Memoirs of Rev. Robert Hall. Fuller on Sande-
manianism. Memoirs of Rev. Samuel Pearce. Brantley on Circumci-
sion. Covel on the American and Foreign Bible Society. Terms of
Communion. The Practical Uses of Christian Baptism ; by Andrew
Fuller. Expository Discourses on Genesis ; by Andrew Fuller. Deci-
sion of Character ; by John Foster. The Travels of True Godliness ;
by Benjamin Keach. Help to Zion's Travellers ; by Robert Hall.
The Death of Legal Hope ; by Abraham Booth. Come and Welcome
to Jesus Christ ; by John Bunyan. Biograjyhical Sketches of Elijah
Craig, Joseph Cook, Daniel Fristoe, Oliver Hart, Dutton Lane, James
Manning, Richard M;ijor, Isaac Backus, Robert Carter, Silas Mercer,
Joshua Morse, Joseph Reese, John Waller, Peter Worden, John
Williams, Elijah Baker, James Chiles, Lemuel Covel, Gardner
Thurston, Jeremiah Walker, Saunders Walker, William Webber,
Shubael Stearns, Eliifkira Marshall, Benjamin Foster, Morgan Ed-
wards, Daniel Marshall,

"The Librniy is a deservedly popular work ; for it is a choice selection from
pious and talented productions. The writings of such men need no encotnium.
Most of Ihent have long been favorably iinowii. They have stood the test of
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pilation in Chrislendoin. We cordially approbate the publication. It merits a
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THE GREAT SECRET", or How to be Happy. By Mrs. E. C. Jud-
soN. ISrao. Cloth, 40 cents.

CHARLES LlNN^orHow to Observe the Golden Rule. By the
same. ISmo. Cloth, 30 cents.

ALLEN LUCAS 5 The Self-made Man. By the same. ISmo. Cloth,
-f 30 cents. All beautiful juveniles.

LEWIS COLBY S PUBLICATIONS.

THE EVENING OF LIFE; or Light and Comfort for Declining Years.
By Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin, A book full of. the sweetest and best
thoughts, and admirably adapted as a gift book to those with whom
the shadows of life have begun to lengthen. Bound in plain and
fancy styles. Price, in cloth, ^1,00.

" The best sources of religious literature in the lano^uage hare been sought for
these i)recious gems of thought and feeling ; and being brief, apt, and beautiful in
sentiment and expression, they are well adapted for the reflection and comfort of
those who are suffering from sickness, or on whose pathway the shadows of life's
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Parlnr JMaifnzine.

" The articles, of which the greater part are from celebrated religious writers,
breathe an admirable spirit of Christian aspiration, and cannot fail to be wel-
comed with great satisfaction by those for whose especial benetit they are in-
tended."— J}rthur''s Home Onzettf.

" The young need coimsel ; the aged, consolation. In this work, the author
enters the world of thought and feeling, of joy and sorrow, and hope and fear,
where the aged dwell, and offers them a choice series of articles appropriate to
their time of life." — Christian Obscrrer.

" It ranks with grave standard religious books, and is not only a treasure to the
Christian in. old age, but a source of comfort and instruction to all fearing God or
having the hope of the Christian,"— 0//«c Branch,

THE MEMOIR OF MRS. HELEN M. MASON. Just Published.

Seventeen Years a Missionary in Burmah. By her husband. Rev.

Francis Mason, 16mo. With a portrait and several beautiful

engravings.

"The personal character of Mrs. Mason was worthy of this beautiful delinea-
tion. But this is not all. She was for seventeen years a missionary in Rurmah;
and the sketches contained in this book are more than a Memoir; they are so
many chapters of thrilling history in the glorious enterprise of Christian missions,
which will be read with deep interest by the million. The book is printed on
beautiful paper, and handsomely illustrated with four fine steel engravings. —
JV, Y. ff'eckly Ciironide.

THE SCRIPTURE TEXT-BOOK AND TREASURY; Forming a
complete Index to the Doctrines, Duties, and Instructions of the
Sacred Volume. 12mo, 75 cents.

It is designed to afford assistance to Ministers, Sunday School Teachers, Tract
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classes in the study of the Holy Scriptures. With fine JNIaps and Engravings. In
two parts. The first part, or Text-Book,^ relates to doctrines, duties, &c., forming
a complete system of Theology. The second part, or Treasury,, relates to history,
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Thirty thousand copies were sold in Greiit Britain in a, few months.

" Upon the first glance at this book, it struck us ns little more than a Concord-
ance new vamped. But on a further examination, we found it to be a work
prepared with great labor, and adapted to great utility. And it is in our view
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deed all who are desirous to eiuich their minds with the treasures of divine knowl-
edge.

'• it is hardly possible to conceive of an arrangement under which can be shown
the teachings of Scripture on a greater number of subjects." — J^eio England Pu-
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'' It is somewhat on the plan of Gaston's collections, (for which it is a good
substitute,) but more compMCl and condensed. Ministers, Sunday School Teach-
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"• To Bible Headers in general, but especially ministers, it is next in worth to the
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SCHOOL EOOKS, BLMK BOOKS, &c.

COUI¥TRY MERCHANTS

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Full text of "The sermons and other writings of the Rev. Andrew Broaddus : with a memoir of his life"

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