Rev. Mr. Duncan's Sermon.

THE following extracts are from a discourse delivered May 17, 1824, before the Students in the Theological Seminary at Princeton, by the Rev. John M. Duncan of Baltimore.

"Every Minister of the Gospel now, ought most prayerfully and profoundly to meditate upon the signs of the present times, and taking his conscience out of the hands of ecclesiastical courts and congregational assemblies, that the master may form it for himself, aim to be fitted for ministerial enterprise by catching the spirit of his age." "Our Fathers, whose memories we should venerate, and whose names we should never mention but with love;-though, let me remark by the way, that I have no idea of degrading my compeers in the nineteenth century, nor, permit me to add, though it may seem a little vain glorious, of lowering my own inconsiderable self, down to the level of an irresponsible idiotism, in order to magnify the natural powers, the acquired talents, or the spiritual gifts of Calvin, Luther, and others, who range along with them, under the same providential influences that consecrated their effort in the cause of christian and ministerial liberty, to the good of mankind. And if, in rising to their level, and refusing to exchange one ecclesiastical lord of conscience for another, I shall be represented as a rash assailant on long established usage and hereditary impression, and can obtain nothing in self-justi. fication among the sons of Zion, whom the Son of God came to set free; painful as it may be, I will appeal to the liberal institutions of my native land, on whose

peaceful shores the standard of liberty has been planted for the admiration of the world." "Sectarianism is now falling, like the worn out economy of Moses, in the days of Paul."

"Nothing is more absurd than to square every man's scruples or convictions by our own, instead of seeking personal improvement by close, unfettered, biblical inquiry.

"They who sit in Moses' seat have not yet lost their love for legislation, nor entirely abandoned their pretensions to infallibility. But whence this mighty power that appropriates the language of the great Head of the church, and directs the ministerial conscience from Christ's judgment seat? Whence this heresy against reason and truth, which covers individuality of existence under social law, and substitutes ecclesiastical statute for personal independence?”

“I know it may be said that he who gives his voluntary consent to such a lordship over his conscience, has no right to complain if he be chastised for rebellion. Indeed? and may I, by solemn compact, will away the Master's injunction to call no man either father or master, see Matt. xxiii. 8-10. Or, having done it, may I not blush for my error, and confess it before the world, without preparing myself to be disrobed as a minister of the Son of God, or to see the grace of repentance turned into a libel for deposition?"

"The minister of the gospel should consider his Bible as the only document, which is, or can be commensurate with his commission; and should study it, believingly and prayerfully, as the only method by which he can acquire true ministerial literature.”

"Paul reasoned-out of the Scriptures-thus an

swering a question, which may now be very confidently asked, how shall we get along with those of modern times who deny these principles, if we have nothing but the Bible?-What honest inan can withstand an argument fairly scriptural? If any, then Paul replies, "if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.""

"Who can now unequivocally declare the Bible to be the only rule of faith and manners, without falling under the most grievous suspicions, as though he had broken his covenant with his God, and denied the Lord that bought him. All our religious sects have their own classifications of what they suppose to be scriptural doctrines."

"Another classification is yet to be made under the auspices of charity, which will be the peculiar property of every individual man, as the product of his spiritual apprehensions and personal experience. This will require the study of the Bible."

"Much do I marvel, that living in the midst of controversies, which, like a deathful paralysis have pervaded the whole ecclesiastical body, and shaken every ecclesiastical establishment to her very centre;-much do I marvel, that any man should celebrate the harmonious operations of this age; assert that our sectarian regulations are necessary to create that moral similitude by which all christians should be known, and prognosticate discord and confusion as the legitimate and unavoidable consequence of mere Bible authority."

"Let every man prepare himself for the transactions of that hour, when faith in Jesus Christ shall become the dignified and honourable principle of christian action, and the known, recognised substitute of ecclesi

astical authority. In elucidating this subject, it is necessary to remember that we are not to confide in human expositions. Our systems transplant scriptural truths out from their own heavenly connections in the Bible, and classify them according to human conceptions. Our commentaries halt and stammer at a text that may seem a little too Calvinistic, or a little too Arminian, and we halt along with them, summoning our ingenuity into conflict with theological difficulties. To the law and to the testimony.""

"To me, it is matter of the purest astonishment, to hear christian ministers talk so untenderly about the Bible, and speak so affectionately and feelingly about their own standards. Standards, the meaning of which they have never yet settled, and about which there has been incessant controversy, both in public and private. They surely can never have fairly thought out what they say, or suffered themselves to apprehend the immense difference between the word of God and the doctrines of men, simply as exercising an efficient control over the consciences and lives of mankind. Let me entreat them to re-examine this matter for themselves, as in the presence of that 'Jealous God,' who 'will not give his glory to another, nor his praise to graven images;' and as living in an age, and in a land, where human authorities have long since lost all their charm, and where every man is growing independent enough to think for himself."

Thus far the preacher.-It does not appear that his discourse was published at the request of his hearers, or that any vote of thanks was passed by those for whose benefit it was prepared. The presumption therefore will be, that it was sent to the press, and

given to the public, for the purpose of more extensively disseminating those principles of sound protestantism which it exhibits and maintains.

To deliver such a discourse before such an auditory, required no small share of moral courage and mental independence. We understand that it gave great offence to some of the reverend gentlemen who were present; let us hope, however, that it will be highly useful to not a few of the students in theology.

This is not the only instance in which the sufficiency of Holy Scripture has been asserted before an assembly of Presbyterian ministers. In the first volume of the Unitarian Miscellany, page 370, we were presented with extracts from a discourse by the Rev. Dr. Gray, couched in lucid and energetic language, and breathing the genuine spirit of the reformation. Yet, we confess, that nothing was more unexpected than a declaration of similar principles by the present preacher. If we may judge from the discourse before us, his orthodoxy, as regards the doctrines of the denomination to which he belongs, remains unaltered; but the sound. ness and catholicism of his principles entitle him to general respect, for he has rendered an essential service to the cause of religion. Where such views are entertained of the perfection and sufficiency of holy scripture, and of the duty, as well as the right of exercising private judgment in the interpretation of scripture, it may reasonably be expected that what is believed to be the truth will be spoken in love, and that those who are regarded as under the delusion of error will be treated with gentleness. This will be a much better illustration of the value of our holy religion than any human system of faith, however ably defended by