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THEN SAID THE HIGH PRIEST ARE THESE THINGS SO?
AND HE SAID, MEN, BRETHREN, AND FATHERS

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At his Triennial Visitation, September 23, 1839,

BY

GEORGE B. GIBBONS, B. A.

Late Scholar of St. John's College, Cambridge,

AND

Perpetual Curate of St. Mary Magdalene.

PUBLISHED BY COMMAND OF THE BISHOP.

7839.
LAUNCESTON :

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY T. & W. R. BRAY. AND
SOLD BY C. J. G. & F. RIVINGTON, ST. PAUL'S

CHURCH YARD, LONDON.

My Lord.

To Henry, by Divine Permission, Lord Bishop of Exeter.

I dedicate to you, a Sermon preached by your appointment, and published by your command. The singular and undesigned coincidence between the thoughts it contains and those set forth in a portion of your Lordship's charge delivered immediately after it, compel me publicly to state, that I was perfectly ignorant of what you were about to say, otherwise I should not have presumed to enter upon topics so fully dwelt on by you: newspaper reports of your charge had been published in some local journals, but I had never seen them, and although I value most highly the remarkable corroboration thus afforded to my statements of truth, my Sermon was totally independent of your Lordship's charge.

I have the honor to be My Lord,

Your faithful and obedient Servant,

Launceston, 24th. September. 1839.

GEORGE B. GIBBONS.

SERMON.

ACTS, c. VII. v. 1, 2.

THEN SAID THE HIGH PRIEST, ARE THESE THINGS SO?

AND HE SAID MEN, BRETHREN AND FATHERS HEARKEN.

WE are not often privileged, Rev. brethren, to meet as we do this day, a section of the Church complete in all its parts, the clergy and the people with the Bishop at their head. We know, too well, the reasons which, under present circumstances, render our chief ruler's visits among us, neither so frequent as we could desire them, nor so long; but I do hope, I am addressing those who can rejoice in the visible memento this day afforded us, that we are not independent heads of different congregations, but are united under one chief-shepherd who is over us in the Lord." There is a "pomp and circumstance," attending a Bishop's visitation, which all can notice and many admire, but to us who are thoughtful men, there is a greater good, and a greater comfort in it, a motive for exertion and for unity; when he who (under Christ) is appointed to rule us, comes to give us his admonition and his blessing in our common Master's name.

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