us feel that these momentous, these eternal truths are sealed in blood; and that a voice of blood and of agony warns us to flee from the misery and curse of sin, and from that wrath which must come upon all those, who will not repent. If Jesus died for our sins, God forbid that we should live in them. May this be our glorying and our hope in the cross of Christ, that by it, we are crucified to the world, and the world to us, and that the life which we live is by faith on the Son of God. AN ADDRESS RECENTLY DELIVERED TO A NEW UNITARIAN SOCIETY, AT THE ORDINATION OF THEIR PASTOR. BRETHREN,-You now stand before the public, and in the presence of God, as a body of individuals, avowing yourselves to be associated in the belief of the Christian Religion, for the maintenance of Christian institutions. We rejoice to see you thus. We gladly recognise you as a church of our Lord, and proffer the fellowship of the Churches which we represent. How could we better express our interest in your welfare, than by coming readily, as we have done, to congratulate and assist you on this occasion. The Pastor of your choice has received our benediction. We have affectionately reminded him of the various important duties, and solemn responsibilities of the office with which he is this day invested. We have given him a pledge of our sympathy and brotherly kindness. We have earnestly besought the God of all grace, for and for him, that union may be abundantly blessed. And, prompted by the same kind regard, we would yet, before we go hence, say a few words, brethren, in especial admonition to yourselves. you your By all your corporate acts, particularly by the procedure of this day, you present yourselves to the world, as believers in the Lord Jesus; and claim to be regarded a Christian People. The claim will at once be allowed, except, perhaps, by some, who assume that their own peculiar expositions of christian doctrine are the essentials of the Gospel. But whether the christian name may be given or denied you is of very little moment. It is your chief concern to deserve the title; and your master will hereafter do you justice, though it be to reverse the decision of the highest ecclesiastical tribunal. God, by whose authority, and in whose name the proceedings of that day will be ordered, is no respecter of persons. All, of every nation, every sect, who fear him and work righteousness, will be accepted by him. Tried by this rule, many, who have been canonized by men, will then be cast out among the workers of iniquity; and many, who have been burnt at the stake, or anathematized as heretics, will receive the crown of glory. Calumny and execration can, therefore, do you little harm, brethren, unless they provoke you to wrath and evil speaking. Of these, and whatever bears the least resemblance to these, we earnestly exhort you to beware; for they are among those works of the flesh, against which the gates of Heaven will be for ever closed. If you would deserve to be called disciples of Christ, let no injurious language, no unkind treatment, you may receive from others, induce you to retort the same. Such things are ranked by one, who wrote with authority from our Lord, in the same class with certain sins, that are universally acknowledged to be the grossest. Christians, from an early age, have been so much more 8 VOL. III.NO. II. engaged about the speculative than the preceptive parts of their religion, that the whole extent of gospel morality is not yet, we apprehend, duly appreciated. Many things, which Jesus explicitly forbade, are still allowed among his professed followers, or only slightly blamed. And some old customs are highly esteemed in Christendom, though, a glance at the New Testament must satisfy the impartial inquirer, they are utterly repugnant to the precepts and spirit of our Master. Of all to which we here refer we cannot now say more. We will instance only that uncharitableness, which at this time is so rife among Christians in our land. Every day we hear this sect reviling that, and that retorting with bitterness upon this, and each, with wondrous self-complacency, claiming to be the followers of the meek and lowly Son of God. Indeed, brethren, if the author of our faith were to be judged from the spirit, which pervades the controversy of those who are called by his name, a kind-hearted man might be ashamed to own himself a Christian, and be much more sorely tempted than Peter was to deny that he even knew Jesus. But the example of our Lord, both in preaching and living, gloriously vindicates himself from such a spirit, and leaves the guilt of uncharitableness, unshared, with those of us who profess to be his disciples, but do not obey his precepts. We have selected this, because we deem it the crying sin of our times; but other proofs might easily be adduced of the low and narrow views, which even Christians take of gospel morality. You, brethren, who are now commencing your existence as a Church, may be expected to take a new and careful survey of the doctrines and requirements of that religion, which you this day pub licly pledge yourselves to support, and carry forward in the world. You, who have attained maturity of years, when it is supposed opinions upon this and all important subjects have become settled, even you may, doubtless, learn much from another faithful examination of the Christian System, in all its parts. The certainty that, in the course of nature, the hour is at hand when your powers and opportunites of usefulness are to be suspended, will urge you, we trust, to follow with intenser interest the suggestion that is given you by this day's event. Let the weight of your latest testimony bear in favor of such doctrines, and such precepts, as, with all the experience and deliberation of age, you may be satisfied are taught in the Christian Scriptures. You, who are in early manhood, whose term of duty and usefulness on earth may be continued yet many years, time and eternity unitedly urge you to consider well the opinions you embrace, and would disseminate; else you may hereafter find yourselves to have been, like the enemy of Christ, sowing tares in his field; and in utter dismay may behold a moral desolation, spread over the portion you have occupied. Go, then, to Jesus, and to his accredited Apostles, and learn of them. They only have authority to dictate what you should believe. Take not for granted the tenets of the sect, to which you are now supposed to belong. We presume not to control your faith, as we shall not be answerable if you err. We would draw you to us by the cords of love. We would hold you only in the bonds of peace. We cheerfully acknowledge as our fellow Christians, all who believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, and that God raised him from the dead. And we doubt not that our Lord will hereafter acknowledge all, without distinction of sect, who make his precepts the guide of their lives, and are careful to acquire his lovely spirit. But Our heart's desire and prayer to God for you, brethren, is that you may be among the number, whom our Master will own. We do therefore rejoice that you have taken for your spiritual guide, one, in whom we are deceived, if he be not a man well qualified for the work of the ministry. He comes in the full vigor of his powers, willing, we doubt not, to spend and be spent for you. he will spend himself in vain, if you do not co-operate, heartily co-operate with his efforts for your religious improvement. The duty of personal application will not be remitted to you, in consideration of his labors in your behalf. Your diligence ought rather to increase with the increased advantages, his settlement among you may create. A minister, however pious, learned and faithful, cannot help those who will not help themselves. He may come regularly to the place of meeting on the Lord's day, with the results of much research and reflection; but if his people be not there to hear him, what will all his pains avail him? He may approach the Throne of Grace, offer the most fervent, appropriate prayers in their behalf; but if they be not there, or, if there in person, be absent in thought, what will his prayers avail? His preaching may be adorned with all the graces, or armed with the thunders of eloquence, yea, though he were to speak in all the fervor of inspiration, even with an angel's tongue, if his people will only hear, what can his preaching profit them? He may set before them, in every minute particular, the requirements of the |