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faith and hope is safe. Neither man below, nor angel above can confide in anything beyond. Let then a faithful, praying, working Church, stand out before heaven and earth completely organized, having a place for all, and all in their places, and then let such a Church fail to convince gainsayers, and win converts, and be perpetually adding to itself of such as shall be saved, and all faces may begin to gather paleness. Such a result can never be, till the Rock of ages has been removed from its place, and the throne of Jehovah subverted.

3. A proof of success is also given in the manifest tendencies of such united co-operation. God clearly foreknew the nature of the instrument with which he would work, and the nature of the material on which he was to work, in building up his kingdom. He has adapted the instrument to the accomplishment of the work. The immortal mind, that has destroyed its eternal inheritance in its depravity, has still the exalted faculties of intellect, conscience, and will; and the truths of the gospel are adapted and designed to meet and move every faculty of this immortal soul. The ministry is ordained to the special work of studying and applying these truths discriminately to saints and sinners. The Church is instituted that it may embody and give living expression to this truth, in the profession and practice of believers, and may thus constantly press its power upon the ranks of ignorance and error. More than all this, provision is made for the supernatural communications of the Holy Spirit. A direct intercourse is maintained with heaven, in that prayer is perpetually to ascend, and answer perpetually to come down, manifesting the abiding presence and power of God. All of tenderness or terror, of interest or obligation, of happiness or worthiness, that can move the mind to feeling and action has been attained and treasured up, "for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished."

Such abundant preparations, and powerfully conspiring tendencies, and wisely adapted instrumentalities give certain presages of success. We may anticipate the consummation, from the wisdom and fullness of the outlay. Blind and stubborn must be that unbelief, which in the midst of such divine arrangements, still doubts the final triumph.

4. The testimony of all experience adds its confirmation. An examination of every grand movement of the Church from its earliest date, will show, that in its right action, it has never had a defeat, nor known a failure.

Its complete primitive organization was in the family of Abraham. God called him from the midst of his kindred, and established his covenant with him, and sealed it to his seed in the ordinance of circumcision. The impulse here given sent the Church down through successive generations of patriarchs and prophets, and made the covenant nation of Israel to become an example to the world of the worship of the true God, and the scourge of all idolatry. After this follows the entire Old Testament history, giving the perpetual chronicle of unfailing triumph where the Law of the Lord was obeyed, and of terrible judgments only when they forsook his ordinances.

So in the first organization of the Christian Church. All who loved and trusted their recently ascended Saviour came together in mutual sympathy and affection, and had all things common. Apostles and evangelists, pastors and teachers, and the increasing numbers of disciples, were ready to renounce, with every thing else, even life itself for the sake of Jesus. They all worked together, each in his own place and calling, under the guidance of the Holy Ghost and with power sent down from heaven. The success was truly astonishing. In a few years, converts to the cross were multiplied throughout all the Roman empire. In a few years more, pagan and persecuting Rome was itself subjected to the Church, and a professed servant of the Gospel was on the throne of the Cæsars. Their faith and obedience and combined labors were great, and God made their success proportionate.

Again, after the perversion and degradation of the Church through the dark night of the middle ages, when its aims were all secularized and its ordinances paganized, Luther and his fellow-reformers again brought the truths of primitive doctrine, and put the Church in order and action, and at once its power returned and spiritual life was given to the nations. The Protestant world has been since moving on to the conquest of the nations just in proportion to their zeal and fidelity.

Yea, I affirm, that there has been no particular branch of

the General Church in any place or age, that has brought its means and resources together, and faithfully laid them out in the work of spreading and enforcing Gospel truth and duty, that has failed of immediate success in full measure to its sacrifices and exertions. Even to-day, the order, and the zeal, and watchfulness, and prayer, and combined co-operation of any of the great branches of Zion, is the sure test of their prosperity and growing strength. One denomination of Christians does not permanently outgrow and overshadow another, by any manœuvres of sectarian tact and skill, nor any party measures of wrong and violence; none of us grow strong in the Lord, except as we bring out our resources with Christian liberality, and make them to work for the Lord in the proper place, and the right way; and whoso does this, becomes at once heaven's monument of heaven's blessing.

What higher evidence do we need than the example and experience of our own Zion? Just so soon, and just so fast, as we began to put away our complaints of rudeness and wrong, and forget all heart-burnings and resentments for open injury, and coming to God in penitence, faith, and prayer, gathered together and closely organized our scattered forces, and set ourselves diligently and determinately to calling forth and laying out our own resources, responsible only to God, in our own way; how sure has heart and courage revived, and strength returned to every member! When met we together under brighter and richer auspices, and evidences of our Master's blessing! Let us still more live and labor, not for even Church ambition, but for our own Zion, from love to God's glory and the salvation of the world, and the purity and prosperity of every other portion of the Evangelical family, and we need not fear that our future experience shall at all belie the tokens of God's past and present approbation. If some, whom we love, distrust and withdraw from us, because they misunderstand us, we have only to hold steadily and decidedly still onward, doing more for common wants as we find out and do more for our own order, and we know that while God owns, and blesses, and prospers, none of God's Churches can long disown, and desert our correspondence and communion. We will have none the less heart and prayer for any sister Church, while we will

unitedly, and untiringly, and resolutely, labor and plan, and give and pray, to build up faster our own Church.

I shall close by deducing a few practical inferences.

1. In the working of any Church organization, some disasters are to be anticipated. No man could allow himself to expect that his Church will be in all things, and at all times, prosperous. The man, who faints, desponds, and perhaps bitterly complains, at every check and hinderance of the church, is poorly qualified for any responsible post in the great enterprise. He cannot be so prepared to work for God in a world of general depravity and constant temptation. If the Church were perfect in all parts, then would her work be always correctly done, and her way always successful. But no church will always be what it should, nor do what it should. Everything human will have its imperfections, and the Church of God will be composed of fallible men, and sometimes swayed by injudicious or wicked counsels. Violent measures and unkind feelings occur, and wrong conduct in one part is met in a wrong spirit by another part. The members will not all be new born; the deacons may not always be "grave;" the elders may not all "rule well;" the bishops may not all be "blameless;" ecclesiastical judicatories may not always be impartial, or wise, or prompt and decided; and the highest church action and influence may sometimes get perverse and onesided. Such imperfections or sins will necessarily induce evils and disasters. Moses' hands will sometimes hang down; Aaron and Hur will not always patiently hold up; Joshua and the army will not always keep up their courage and zeal; and thus will come occasions when Israel will lose and Amalek will gain ground.

Knowing what human nature is, such things should be anticipated. We must calculate upon it, and stand prepared for it. "It must needs be that offences come;" and we are not to grow impatient nor desponding on account of it. It is no part of our Christian work to fret and complain, much less to rail and recriminate, but while we faithfully rebuke the wrong-doer, it must be in such a spirit and manner as shall best redress the wrong and repair the evil. Let it be fairly apprehended that our Church has yet a long time to be militant, before she shall

be completely triumphant; and that she has yet very great, and very difficult labors to perform, both within her own pale, and without upon unbelievers, and abroad upon pagan nations, before she can have any right to feel that her great mission has been accomplished. Voluntary association and ecclesiastical action, that now induce discordant counsels, and tend toward colliding measures, must somewhere find their centralizing and harmonizing principle; Church Extension and Ministerial Education must find how they may prosecute and effect their ends. for the particular church organization, with no violation of denominational claims and courtesies; and slavery is yet to be so defined, and its system and working so clearly apprehended, that the great body of the Church shall come to know what forms of servitude are righteous and may be permitted, and what are essentially unrighteous, and must be purged out at any sacrifice, that no old leaven may be allowed to spoil the new loaf. Our Church is among the surest and safest, and furthest on the way to this desired and destined consummation; but while this great work is being done, let every man understand that human imperfections will mingle in with it, and that many at least partial disasters will year by year accompany it, and severely try our faith and patience.

2. The point of failure must bear the responsibility. Whoever may be in fault, others will be injured by it. The evil consequences spread beyond the sinner, and often permeate the whole organism. One Achan in the camp brings the discomfiture of a whole army. One sin in the progenitor has spread its consequences through our entire humanity.

But, while from the law of social connections there is this liability of the many to be injured by one, still the higher law of immutable morality fixes the responsibility only upon the guilty. The very point where the sin originates, is that to which God will trace back the consequences, and hold to answer at the last account. A man's or an angel's sin will spread its evils beyond the sinner, but God will for that sin hold that sinner alone responsible. "The soul that sinneth, it shall

die."

So in the Church, whenever and wherever wrong action comes. in, it spreads its destructive virus far and wide, and makes the whole body suffer. The ministry may have its imperfections

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