Scripture holiness over these lands' by such helps as we were able to command, the scene, in some respects, has greatly changed. And while it is evident that we have by no means depreciated in point of deep, uniform, and rational piety, it is equally clear that we have raised the standard of our 'temporal economy' many degrees. We now see houses of worship, answering, in their number and magnitude, to the demands of our numerous congregations, beginning to rise in almost every circuit and station throughout the widening field of our labor. If, however, we would give our church-building system the greatest possible efficiency, in maintaining the worship of almighty God, it will be necessary, wherever we build, whether in cities, towns, or country places, to occupy, as we are able, the most central positions, to which points the people are attracted as well from considerations of business, pleasure, and curiosity, as those of a more serious nature. For while houses of worship, occupying other situations, are often entirely forsaken, and always poorly attended, those which are located at the various centres of population, will be distinguished as so many nuclea, around which numerous and permanent societies will be collected.

2. In regard to maintaining the public worship of God, we would observe, secondly, that the Christian ministry are required to act a leading part, not merely as teachers, but more especially in the character of pastors, or shepherds, to whom is committed, under considerations of high and awful responsibility, the care of souls. Hence, it is said to the ambassadors of Christ, Study to show yourselves approved unto God, workmen that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth: Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.' And hence, also, the following important charge is given them in our Discipline :-You have nothing to do but to save souls: therefore, spend, and be spent, in this work; and go always, not only to those that want you, but to those that want you most. Observe! it is not your business only to preach so many times, and to take care of this or that society; but to save as many as you can; to bring as many sinners as you can to repentance, and with all your power to build them up in that holiness, without which they cannot see the Lord.' In these quotations, brethren, we see the nature and importance of our calling, as ministers of Christ, inculcated by the highest authority, viz. that of God and the Church. And when we consider, as the poet says, that

"This work might fill an angel's heart;

And fill'd a Savior's hands ;'

involving, as it does, the highest trust of any station under heaven, and consequently requiring the greatest talent and diligence to sustain it; we are not only surprised, but also grieved and mortified, that any among us, professing to preach the Gospel, should find so much leisure, as is sometimes the case, for other purposes: whether it be the wicked indulgence of a listless behavior, or the paltry speculations of a carnal life. Indeed, we were never 'moved by the Holy Ghost' to while

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away our time in scenes of mental dissipation; nor have we been solemnly consecrated to holy orders by the laying on of the hands of the presbytery' for the transaction of any secular business whatever; and it can only be viewed in the light of a pious fraud, to ask a full support of those whose interests we but partially serve, either through the want of suitable qualifications, resulting from a sluggish habit of mind and the neglect of books, or the circumstance of being unduly occupied with other affairs. But while the unfaithful minister, after wounding the feelings of his friends, burthening the people of his charge, and betraying the Son of man' himself, falls into merited obscurity and disgrace, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep' let it be our business, my dear brethren in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,' O let it be our exclusive business to preach the glad tidings of great joy which is unto all people;' being 'determined to know nothing among men save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.' And let us endeavor to maintain the institution of public worship by supporting the character of faithful pastors, whether it be in preaching, praying, visiting from house to house,' establishing Bible, missionary, Sabbath school, and tract societies; taking upon ourselves the agency of erecting churches and parsonages, or any other office by which the great ends of our calling, as Christian ministers, may be answered. But as we feel our inadequacy to present so important a subject in a proper light, we shall beg leave to submit it in the following appropriate language of St. Peter: The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples unto the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.'

3. But we would remark, thirdly, that after all we have said in favor of building churches, and cultivating ministerial gifts, for the purpose of maintaining public worship, unless the people generally, and especially professors of religion, attend the worship of God, and join in the exercises of devotion, it will be in vain to multiply houses of worship, however commodious, or supply them with a competent ministry. For should we 'forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is,' or, like Thomas, be absent from the place where the disciples are assembled the first day of the week,' we should in all probability be left to say, as the consequence of non-attendance, 'I will not believe,' though Jesus himself might stand in the midst, saying unto them, Peace be unto you.' That there is a kind of religious gossips who straggle about from one meeting to another for the purpose, no doubt, of getting their support, of whom it may be said that' they walk among us disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies,' we are constrained, though reluctantly, to acknowledge. And it is equally true, that there is a far more numerous class of 'keepers at home,' who fall into the opposite extreme, and seldom visit the place of worship at all; alleging, as an excuse, the most frivolous and unsatisfactory grounds: whereas the true standard is probably to be found in the

fourth commandment, where it is said, 'Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God' appropriated to purposes of rest, i. e., according to the interpretation of all Christian commentators, to purposes of social and religious worship. We would not be here understood, however, so to divide the week between secular employments and the exercises of worship as exactly to coincide with the calendar, and thereby overthrow the practice of holding religious meetings on a week day; but rather to establish a just proportion between sacred and other duties, by showing that a seventh part of time, at least, belongs to the place or purposes of Divine worship. But as there is little occasion to enlarge on the exact portion of time that is due to the public exercises of religion, seeing this point is pretty nearly settled, as well by common consent as by the Holy Scriptures; we need only impress it upon you, dear people, to attend the public administration of God's word and ordinances, and unite together in the various exercises of social worship whenever it is practicable, especially on 'the Lord's day;' assuring you, at the same time, that while this interesting duty may be derived from primitive example, positive precept, and the commission of Christian ministers to teach us the way of life and salvation,' it is no less forcibly inculcated by the vast amount of good resulting to the stated worshipper, both as it respects himself, his family, and his neighborhood and we are satisfied that you need only prove the utility of Divine worship by a faithful attendance upon its institution, in order to give it all that pecuniary support which its importance demands, and your means will justify. But I will not dwell on this point, since the liberality you have already manifested in providing a place of worship so entirely suitable in its location, extent, and structure, to the intelligent and numerical character of your congregation, can only be regarded as a pledge of your continued benevolence in maintaining the worship of God from year to year by voluntary contribution.

VII. Finally, in regard to the location or site of our devotions, it must be sufficiently evident that such places should always be chosen as are best adapted to favor the exercise.

1. It will appear, however, in the first place, that the accommodation of God's people in this respect, during the greater part of their history, has been rather indifferent, whether we look at the successive dispensations of time, or the various denominations of people, which have characterized the true Church. You know that under the patriarchal dispensation, from first to last, their only temple consisted in a private tent, a sacred grove, or the more simple shade of an insulated tree; and that it was not unusual to meet with altars composed of rude and shapeless stones in the open field. And you are aware, also, that in this plain and economical manner the children of Abraham continued to worship 'the God of their fathers' till the time of their exodus out of Egypt; when Moses, under the special direction of almighty God, constructed a kind of portable edifice or tent, called 'the tabernacle'the first building, it is believed, that was ever specially dedicated to the worship of Jehovah, by the fallen race of Adam. It is equally clear that the second regular house of worship, and that to which the public services of religion were in due time transferred, was the mag

nificent temple erected by Solomon at Jerusalem, long after the Israelites had become settled in the promised land. If we except a few general or national rites, however, the services of public worship were not always confined to the temple; as, after the captivity, houses of worship, called synagogues, were greatly multiplied throughout the nation. The account here given with regard to the rise and progress of church building under the patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations, may be applied with little difference to succeeding ages; for notwithstanding there were many houses of worship in Palestine, where the Christian Church was first established, yet a 'sect every where spoken against' could not be allowed to occupy them; but as if it were not enough to exclude them from the synagogues and temple, they must be pursued with the sword of extermination while they assembled for social worship and Christian conference in the most sequestered places at the peril of their lives. As the Church increased, however, in number, wealth, and influence, they were soon able to erect houses of worship for themselves; when a thousand Christian temples rose, piercing the clouds with their lofty spires, and summoning to their sacred altars, upon the weekly Sabbath, a thousand congregations by the churchgoing bell.' But while we leave Christendom, in general, filled, as it is among different sects, with a vast number of churches more or less spacious and magnificent, and trace the history of our own denomination in regard to church building, we shall find that the same course which has marked its progress in former ages, as we have seen above, has been taken by ourselves. And here we shall observe that Mr. Wesley and his coadjutors, in what we shall call the Wesleyan reformation, like the primitive apostles, were seldom allowed the occupancy of a regular church; being obliged to pursue their work irregularly, (as it was said in the language of bigotry,) preaching in the open air, and such other places as were inadequate to screen them from the violence of the infuriated mobs, by which they were often assailed. A happier fate, however, awaited our infant Church; the prospect of which, together with a consciousness of moving forward in the way of his duty, greatly animated the founder of Methodism in his arduous labors, and armed him with that Christian fortitude for which he was so eminently distinguished amid suffering and danger. It is true that in the beginning we were few and feeble, especially as it regarded places of worship. The first building ever appropriated exclusively to the worship of God as a Methodist church, was an old foundry, as we are told, in the city of London, which appears to have been fitted up chiefly at Mr. Wesley's private expense. And the first regular place of worship ever claimed by us on this side of the Atlantic, was a kind of warehouse in the city of New-York, a little before the American revolution. Nor was it till lately that our attention, as a distinct body, has been much engaged on the subject of erecting churches. Indeed, I recollect to have heard my reverend brother who is now associated with me in the desk, remark some time since that he had officiated at the dedication of more churches during his short ministry than had been erected at the time he became a travelling preacher in what are now called the Oneida and Genesee conferences. And I am certain there was a less number in those conferences at the time alluded to, by more than one

half, than are now going up, embracing those which have been recently dedicated, in the Berkshire district. But the day of small things' with us, in regard to houses of worship, is happily gone by; and God has graciously put it into the hearts' of our members and friends 'to build him a house' in almost every place where such an accommodation is needed; insomuch that it is scarcely less common to meet with a Methodist church in travelling through the country, than one of another denomination. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes!'

2. We have already observed, in general terms, that in offering our devotions to God we should invariably choose those places which are best adapted to favor the exercise: and we shall proceed to maintain, secondly, that of all situations under heaven for this purpose, a church exclusively dedicated to Divine worship is the most eligible, as universal experience sufficiently demonstrates. But while this well-known fact may be ascribed to a variety of circumstances, as the relative position, the capacity, the internal economy, &c, of the house, we shall only notice, as a very interesting cause, the association of ideas, than which nothing presents a stronger motive in favor of building churches. And here we would remark that the human mind may be regarded as a kind of barometer, affected with surrounding circumstances; from which consideration, when a beautiful landscape, embracing all the varieties of an extended view, is spread out before us, our feelings naturally partake of the scenery, and a correspondent interest is excited in our minds; while other scenes, from the monotony and barrenness of their features, or from the boldness which they present, and the dangers they involve, either fail to afford us the least degree of pleasure, or excite in our minds sensations of horror. If, therefore, we select the place of Divine worship in reference to a correspondent disposition of the mind, we may innocently take advantage of our natural sympathies to aid the spirit of religious devotion: for which purpose, having been solemnly dedicated to His service, the house of God furnishes a peculiar opportunity for cherishing this disposition, as there can be nothing to divert our attention from the legitimate ends of social and Divine worship; while every object that meets the eye, and every sound that falls upon the ear, being associated with the great business of devotion, will naturally contribute more or less to induce a solemn and devotional frame of mind. In view of all which many will be led to exclaim, 'How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! my soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a door keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.'

3. But we shall add, in conclusion, that while a house exclusively appropriated to the worship of God should always be preferred as the place of our public devotions, yet, in this respect, we are not limited, especially where we have not the means of providing such accommodations. No, my brethren: the God whom we adore, the omnipresent Deity, is confined neither to time, nor place, nor multitude; for, Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Him; how much less this house that we have builded?' And yet He says, Where two