Part 22 (1/2)
Therefore, dear brother, suffer me to exhort you on this solemn occasion, while you stand upon the threshold of your great work, to study and labor, every day of your life, to possess and enjoy genuine piety in the sight of G.o.d. This will give life and energy to all your labors, and will be a source of never-failing consolation in every hour of trouble.
”2. The great object of your labors should be to make others pious. Every sermon should be one persuasive oration for men to be good. To win the applause of your hearers, to instruct them in the theory of the Christian religion, is not enough. Thousands of such superficial Christians will, no doubt, sink down to h.e.l.l. Gospel truth must be set home in faithfulness to the sinner's heart He must be made to _feel_ that unless he is born again he cannot see the kingdom of G.o.d. The minister should never feel satisfied with the condition of his hearers unless he is confident that they are '_in Christ_'--'_are new creatures_'--that with them '_old things are pa.s.sed away and all things are become new_.' In order to be successful in producing spiritual reform, all your addresses and labors must a.s.sume the tone and character of friends.h.i.+p, and of kind entreaty.
You can never frighten rational intelligences into the love of G.o.d; you cannot drive men into the kingdom of heaven; you cannot storm and force sinners home to the bosom of the Saviour. But, Sir, you can reason with them, you can persuade, entreat, and pray them in Christ's stead to be reconciled to G.o.d. You must exhibit the glorious majesty and bountiful dealings of the great G.o.d, the atonement, the sufferings, the love and compa.s.sion of the glorious Redeemer, the intelligence, doctrine, promises and claims of the Gospel, which is the power of G.o.d unto salvation.
These truths, proclaimed in the right manner, and under the direction of the right spirit, will surely produce the desired effect. Remember that when you have influenced one sinner to forsake the error of his ways and to embrace and conform to the Saviour, you have accomplished more than when you have made any number of wrangling proselytes to party. To win men to Christ, and to make them good, is the great object to which your energies should be devoted.
”3. It is your duty to cultivate holiness, union, and zeal in the church of G.o.d. A careless way of living, a vain, a licentious, a cruel and haughty spirit should never be encouraged by a minister of Christ. Every disciple of Jesus should be plainly taught that without holiness no man can see the Lord.
”Again, look abroad in Christendom and behold the divided and subdivided flock of Christ. See the infidel vulture feasting upon the havoc which wicked and unskilful ministers have made in Zion. While you behold this gloomy picture, and listen to the holy injunction of the great Head of the church for his people to be _one_; raise the warning voice, lift the banner of truth, and with the authority of Heaven, plead for UNION AND PEACE among all that love and serve G.o.d.
”Also labor to encourage _zeal_ for the truth, and liberty of the Gospel among the saints. The Catholics are zealous, infidels are zealous, proud sectarians are compa.s.sing sea and land to make proselytes; and saints who have no creed but the Bible, and no master but Christ, should be zealous to advance and promulgate the truth. Influence should be exerted, talent should be employed, and a part of our earthly treasures should be cheerfully dedicated to the holy cause. These things you should teach and urge upon the consideration of all who love the truth.
”4. I charge you to love the cause, and to consider no sacrifice too great for its advancement. The nature of your calling is such that you cannot with propriety enter into the speculations of the world. The prospect, therefore, of worldly honor and worldly treasure, must be laid aside for the humble cross of the meek and lowly Jesus. You should glory in nothing save the cross, by which you are crucified to the world and the world unto you. Your work as evangelist will separate you from many of the friends of your youth, and deprive you of a thousand domestic joys which are the portion of your brethren in a private circle.
Also your work is hard and laborious, which has caused thousands of the best const.i.tutions to sink under it. I have been devoted to the ministry only twenty-four years, and have seen many of my first a.s.sociates, young and in the prime of life, sink under their labors into premature graves. I have seen the strong and robust youth, whose eye was bright, whose nerve was strong, whose cheek was like the rose, when he entered the work; but after a few years, he falters, he fails, he dies, a holy martyr to the truth.
I trust, Sir, you have seriously counted the cost, and received Christ at the loss of all things. How will unfaithful ministers appear in the great day, who have sought the applause of men, studied their own ease, and made no sacrifice for the cause of G.o.d? If we suffer with him on earth, we shall be glorified with him in heaven.
”5. Shun the delusion and wickedness of sectarism. This is an age of party, of sectarian rage and bitterness. It is a time of universal strife, excitement and war. The civil and religious world are in a state of unnatural and unreasonable commotion. Almost every subject is driven to an alarming extreme, and the basest measures are sometimes employed to advance sectarian objects. What blindness and delusion mark the progress of sectarism! What cruelty and wickedness follow in her train! The commands and inst.i.tutions of Jesus are trampled under foot, and brotherly love and Christian forbearance are banished far from the soul of the bigot. This, doubtless, is the time spoken of in the Scriptures, when the heavens and the earth are to be shaken. Now is the time for the man of G.o.d to be cool and candid. Never descend from your high and holy calling to the low pursuits of grovelling sectarism; never forsake the great message of love and salvation you are destined to proclaim, to mingle in the petty wrangles of party. Never turn aside from the path of justice and charity to vend the cruel slanders of the times, or to censure and condemn a brother who differs from you in opinion. Let justice, kindness and charity mark all your proceedings, and you will be a good minister of Christ, and a light in the world. Be a CHRISTIAN, A LIBERAL, GENUINE CHRISTIAN; and never suffer any sectarian act of cruelty to tarnish your fame, nor wound your conscience.
”6. Be patient in the sufferings, and humble in the success that may attend your ministry. One of the greatest arts of human happiness is to keep the mind, under all circ.u.mstances, in one even, regular position, neither too much elated by flattering prospects, nor too much depressed by misfortunes. It requires as much strength and exertion to sustain ourselves against the temptations and allurements of prosperity, as it does to bear up under the heavy pressure of adversity. We see but few men who are raised to important stations in life, who have sufficient wisdom and strength to act the part of plain, natural, sensible men. See a person raised from poverty to wealth by some unexpected smile of fortune; how frequently he becomes a proud, haughty, intemperate novice. Some men raised to important stations in State, are filled with vanity and egotism; useless, hateful sycophants. As lamentable as the fact is, in the church likewise this trait of human weakness is sometimes discovered. But a man who is filled with pride and importance on being inducted into office in the Church of G.o.d, has no just views of himself or his calling, and is altogether unfit for the station he fills.
Such vain and deceived persons will be lords over G.o.d's heritage, are miserable examples to the flock of Christ; their labors will be a constant source of corruption and temptation to the saints, and the sooner congregations are purged from such tyrants, such wells without water, the better.
”My brother, when prosperity smiles all around, when your labors are crowned with a rich harvest, when your praise and popularity are the theme of every tongue, and affectionate greetings and cheering smiles of applause are seen in every countenance; then, oh! then be humble; like Mary, weep at the feet of Jesus, and press the _holy cross_ closer and closer to your trembling heart, and bless the Lamb of G.o.d, that his blood was ever applied to such a sinner. On the other hand, when afflictions gather thick in your path, when base envy shall prompt the tongue of slander to a.s.sail you, when the storms of persecution shall gather in threatening aspect on every side, and pale poverty stare you in the face; then is the time to collect all your energies, all your strength, and all your fort.i.tude. Then, while you repose with unshaken confidence on the immutable promises of JEHOVAH, be sure to put forth your efforts still for the promotion of holy truth; be the same man in _spirit_ and in _life_ now, that you wore in your favored days of success. Never suffer your heart to indulge despair under any circ.u.mstances, and ever wear a becoming cheerfulness upon your countenance. But, Sir, I must close, by expressing my happiness in my short acquaintance with you--my confidence in your ability and integrity, and my fervent wish for your prosperity, happiness and success. And when the Great Shepherd shall come to gather all his faithful watchmen, and his precious elect from the four winds of heaven, may you be numbered among the sanctified, and meet the precious souls for whom you have labored on earth, at G.o.d's right hand! AMEN.”
His sermons, not being written, cannot be offered to the world. They only live in the effects they produced, and in the memories of the people; and his written plots were so brief, that their presentation would be but the mockery of a just idea of the discourses given. I will, therefore, not transcribe them; these plots, however, range over every variety of subject. He once said to a few young ministers, that he disliked the plan of announcing to a congregation, at the commencement, the _order_ of a subject, for the reason that it gave them the opportunity of antic.i.p.ating too readily what he would say. ”Let the order of the subject unfold to them as newly as possible,” was his usual motto in preaching. He also said:--”Be sure to preach so plain that the most ignorant person in the house will understand you; then even the learned will be pleased.” A very conscientious man who believed in the annihilation of the wicked--which he called the _second death_--once came to him for advice in relation to its having a prominent place in his ministry. ”I will tell you,” said Mr. Badger, ”what to preach.
Preach _life_. Preach _life_, my brother; the people want _life_, not _death_.”
A sermon for moral enterprise he gave at Iona, N. Y., January, 1835, could it be given as he spoke it, would do more toward setting forth his pulpit ability than all we can publish or say on the subject. His text was Neh. 2: 20: ”The G.o.d of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore let us arise and build.” The same might be said of any of his ablest discourses; this is mentioned simply because it was the first sermon I ever heard him preach. As the plot of a sermon, then delivered on the excellency of the Gospel, lies before me, I will present it, it being a fair specimen of his usual manner of committing the points of a sermon to paper. Text, Rom. 1: 16: ”I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.”
”1. To arrive at a state in which we glory in the Gospel above all other inst.i.tutions and systems, is the highest condition of perfection on earth.
”Reasons why we should not be ashamed of the Gospel: 1. The dignity of its author. 2. Its authenticity. 3. Its salutary influence on society. It civilizes man; it elevates woman.
It enlightens, convicts, and saves sinners. It unites Christians; is the bond of society. 4. Its doctrine is rational and consistent. 5. Its inst.i.tutions are all agreeable. 6. Its wors.h.i.+p is satisfying and delightful. 7.
Its end and object is immortality.”
In pa.s.sing over his dedication services, one is oft times struck with the moral weight and elegance of the pa.s.sages from which he spoke, as, for instance, at the consecration of the Christian chapel, September, 1832, in Canandaigua, N. Y., he addressed the people from John 8: 32: ”Ye shall know the TRUTH, and the truth shall make you free.” He dwelt on the extent, the power, and the excellence of truth, the conditions of knowing it, and the freedom it brings. In speaking on the last division of the subject, he alluded to four evils from which the truth liberates believers, namely, ignorance, sin, the misery of guilt, and the enslaving fear of death. On the last idea, he dwelt with peculiar force, showing how the revelation of immortality dissipates death's fears and glooms. Temples of wors.h.i.+p, indeed, derive much of their sacredness from the consideration that they are meant to be temples of eternal, imperishable truth.
Also at Berlin, N. Y., 1834, he spoke at the consecration of the Christian chapel, from Rev. 22: 1, 2: ”And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of G.o.d and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Only those who have seen his ingenious dealing with pa.s.sages of lively imagery can imagine the exhibition of thought this text would inspire, whilst he traced the clear Gospel river which flowed, not from human creeds and inst.i.tutions, but from the eternal throne, causing life, in its large variety, to bloom in its course.
April, 1824, he held a public debate with a liberally educated clergyman at Rochester, N. Y., in which, by general consent, he triumphantly maintained his cause. The rank of Jesus appears to have been the princ.i.p.al topic. April 7, 1825, at Royalton, N. Y., he preached two sermons, embracing the supreme deity of Jesus, and the doctrine of the Trinity in reply to Rev. Mr. Colton. Sermon first is founded on Rom. 9: 5: ”Of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, G.o.d blessed forever.” Sermon second is founded on 1 Tim. 2: 5: ”For there is one G.o.d, and one Mediator between G.o.d and men, the man Christ Jesus.” In laying out his work on the former pa.s.sage, he observed the following plan:--
”1. Explain the text. 2. Give a general view of the Christian doctrine of G.o.d and the Son. 3. Examine and criticise Mr. Colton's sermon. 4. Give my reasons for rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity. In explaining the pa.s.sage, he says, 'I regard this text as a simple declaration relative to the fulfilment of the promises alluded to in the preceding verse--promises made to the Israelites, of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came--that is, _of_ or _through_ those Israelites his lineage is traced, and to them was the promise of the Messiah made.' This is the first doctrine of the text, and is so self-evident that it requires no further remark.
”The second thing in this verse is, that Christ is declared to be 'over all,' which represents his extensive reign, his universal dominion, his superintendency over all the affairs of the New Dispensation, his being head over all things unto the church, which is his body. 'The head of every man is Christ, and the head of Christ is G.o.d.' 1 Cor. 11: 3--which agrees with the Saviour's final address to his apostles after his resurrection, 'All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth,' Matt. 28: 18. A beautiful description of his being first, of his having preeminence, is given, Col. 1: 18, 19: 'And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the _beginning_, the _first-born_ from the dead, that, in all things, he might have the preeminence; for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.' There are but two rational conclusions that can be drawn from the words 'G.o.d blessed forever,' to neither of which have I any special objection. 1. That the promise is fulfilled, Christ is come, is over all, therefore bless G.o.d forever, or let G.o.d be blessed for ever, for his fulfilment of so great and glorious a promise; which accords with another expression of St. Paul, Rom. 9: 15: 'Thanks be unto G.o.d for his unspeakable gift.'
According to this view, it is only an exclamation of praise. 2. That he is 'blessed of G.o.d forever,' as the expressions--G.o.d blessed and blessed of G.o.d signify the same. He _was_ blessed of G.o.d, and he shall be blessed of him forever. G.o.d promised him, G.o.d sent him, G.o.d strengthened and glorified him, raised him from the dead, received him at his own right hand, and has committed to him judgment; and, under G.o.d, he shall reign over all till the last enemy is conquered. Where is the word or the idea of a Trinity in this text? I cannot find it.”
In the last part of the discourse, he a.s.signs seven reasons for rejecting the Trinity, which are:--
”1. It is not a doctrine of Revelation, but is an invention of men in a dark age. 2. It contradicts plain declarations of Scripture. 3. It contradicts reason. 4. It has always caused contention in the church, and now is the greatest subject of controversy in Christendom. 5. It is a doctrine which obliges its believers to contradict themselves in _preaching_ and in _prayer_. 6. It involves the idea it claims to despise--a _human_ Saviour, a _human_ atonement.
7. It is the foundation of deism.”
February, 1841, whilst conducting a series of meetings at Stafford, N.
Y., he was challenged into a public debate at Morganville, by Rev. J.