On such an occasion, he who is bidden to address his clerical brethren, may well have much to say it had better not be of apology for his own unfitness (let him do the best he can,) it had better not be of unmixed eulogium on the church, among us (much there is that wants mending, and especially in ourselves) it had better not be with a careful labored effort after "enticing words of man's wisdom," or "excellency of speech and of power," (that may be seeking to please man at the imminent peril of displeasing God): but it should be with a serious feeling of responsibility, when so great an opportunity is afforded to one of Christ's ambassadors, of addressing, not mainly the lay people, but his fellows in the sacred ministry; and he who has allotted him, such a task, needs God's special guidance and blessing, that" with simplicity and godly sincerity," with reverence for his superiors, but with an absorbing remembrance of the church's head, even " Jesus who is passed into the heavens," he may faithfully and affectionately deliver the truth, and having a "word of exhortation" may "say on." It may be better too, on such an occasion, not to dwell on well known and universally admitted doctrines, not to urge general exhortations to duty or dissuasives from sin; but to be special; and meeting (as we do) a particular body of men, to suit the discourse to our own situation, with all its privileges, difficulties, temptations and sorrows. You will not think then Rev. brethren, that the preacher counts at a less cost, than unspeakable, all the glorious doctrines of our faith, because his words bear not now directly upon them: the utter corruption, the inherent depravity of man's heart, our helpless and hopeless state of condemnation apart from the salvation of Jesus,— redemption only through his blood, sanctification only through his spirit,--our utter destitution of all merit, (He only shutting

for us the gates of hell and opening the doors of heaven,)-we the "helpless" and the "ungodly" when for us in due time Christ died, such truths are 1 trust proclaimed by us to our people "every sabbath day," and I suppose you are not cf those who on such subjects require to have" the way of God expounded to you more perfectly." If we hold not these truths we are grossly ignorant of our message to men, if we preach them not fully and clearly, we are faithless ambassadors, they are the life of our people and of our own souls, and pervading our ministry they alone can give to minor verities their worth and their importance, and without them every " form of sound words" becomes nothing but a "form." It will not then be my endeavour this morning, to discuss any one text, not to dwell upon any one doctrine of the christian faith, but to offer you such remarks upon the position of the church among us, as may commend themselves to your conscience, and may be profitable by God's blessing, for our encouragement and admonition both as ministers, and as christian men. I may offer little that is not obvious, and nothing that is not well known; but then, truth to be profitable need not be novel; we meet rather to be stirred up in the remembrance of what we do know, than taught what we do not, to be corrected and invigorated as to our lives rather than instructed in our views of doctrine, it is a word of "exhortation" rather than of "teaching" which the preacher has now to deliver.

I need not remind you, Rev. brethren, that we have lighted upon times which are enough to rouse the church, and make her seek out her pedigree and examine wherein her true strength lies. We find ourselves ministers and members of an incorporated society, a visible body with certain duties and privileges; and it is well, upon occasion, to enquire its origin, who devis

ed the incorporation? and regulated the offices? and the membership? Is the church a society devised by Cæsar or ordained by Christ? can it be traced to a notorious original, or is it found in the earth recently " man knoweth not how like "the image which fell down from Jupiter"? We preach the gospel, who sent us to do so? "we baptize," who authorized us to do this? we consecrate and administer the holy eucharist, who gave us that authority? surely such questions are reasonable, and we ought to be able to meet them with a very definite reply. Perhaps our position with respect to the state, has caused perplexity where there should be clearness, and has made some of us look to that for "authority" which cannot give or take away any thing beyond "protection" in its exercise. Yet how plain is the truth here! For a long time the church of Christ had the kings of the earth against her, her bishops and clergy, were persecuted not protected, yet preaching, and baptism, and confirmation, and the holy supper, were in the church even as they are now, and no authority was given to her rulers, no spiritual gift added or taken away, when the earthly rulers took counsel as touching her, with a better mind. As citizens and good subjects we are bound to obey our temporal governors, to honor those in authority, and peaceably to submit to the nation's laws, to seek the state's welfare and to be thankful for liberty and civil protection, but as clergymen, as men commissioned to a sacred trust, need I admonish you, that we derive not one jot or tittle of our authority from the government of our land? Rev. brethren, the laws have secured to you the peaceable enjoyment of a portion of that property, which was of old endowed upon Christ's church and ministers here, goodly edifices are given you to preach in, and you may do God's work in this kingdom, none

daring to make you afraid; but the commission you have received, the authority intrusted to you has been derived through a channel as distinct from the state, as the earth is distinct from the heavens. Jesus declared to the eleven apostles "all power is given unto me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore and baptize"--He derived upon them a portion of the power which Himself had received of the Father, and in that commission (which you will remember,) he authorized them to their ministry, and promised its perpetuity even to the end of the world. He said not this to the multitude of the disciples, but, to the eleven whom he had appointed to meet him in private, even as the holy supper had been instituted amid the same little company, and from these, Christ's vicegerents when He quitted this world for the skies, are you to look for your authority or else you have none ! have none! I cannot conceive any thing more manifest than the constitution of Christ's church when He ascended to his original glory: " as my Father hath sent me so send I you," " he that receiveth you receiveth me," the blessed gift of the eucharist and the charge concerning baptism, being left only and wholly in their hands-theirs to administer, theirs to account for, theirs to dispense for the good of the church committed to their care, and he that promised a perpetuity "was also able to perform," the church has gone on an increasing body, the grain of mustard seed has fruitfully grown, the leaven has spread itself far and wide, the drag net has expanded its folds to catch men, the vine has shot forth its increasing branches; as touching both ministers and people, the present members could not " continue by reason of death," and instead of the fathers we have their children, to swell the church catholic in all lands, yet the authority of her clergy, the blessings of her covenant, the doctrine

fast held, the holy sacraments administered, stand in all respects among us as they did in the church before the days of Constantine! I do not wish Rev. brethren, to occupy your time with truths unimportant, or truths universally remembered and acted on; your " Ordination " is not a thing of mean importance to you, the real validity of it is not always based upon its right foundation, even among ourselves, we may not plead, we cannot, (as seceding christians do,) the warrant out of Scripture self applied, the commission of the people, or the sufficient authority of an inward call, we go to the bishop not stewards, not ambassadors, we come away invested with the sacred trust, and our ordination service is worse than a profane show, if our commission is not given thereby. I do heartily grieve over the conduct of some of our order, who have learned liberality, (I hope unwittingly,) from Esau's school; they have despised what was either truly sacred or else fearfully profane, they have forgotten the awful words that cnsoecrated and commissioned them, or have done much despite to English and honesty in making them mean nothing at all, they have striven to deduce their authority from any source but his hands who conferred it, and without the unfettered freedom of the dissenting minister, have based their office precisely upon his grounds.

Now you notice the point at which we aim; not to despise the grounds on which the ministers of separating communions rest their office, not to speak disparagingly of the men or of their opinions, but to show that their warrant cannot be yours. Take these words from the sermon lately preached by a respectable dissenting minister (Mr. Ely of Leeds,) at the setting apart one of his brethren. "By the vote of the society a pas"tor has been elected, and the brotherhood of pastors is