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of their Pastor's removal the members were left in a discouraging condition. More than one year had elapsed before much effort was used to procure the services of a clergyman amongst them; and it was discovered by the more discerning members of the Parish, that such a course would tend to obliterate Episcopal principles, and render cold and indifferent many members who had heretofore been attentive on the worship and service of our primitive and apostolic Church Considerations like these induced some of the members to become more active, and to make exertions to procure the services of candidates for holy orders, in the hope of finding one whose services were agreeable, and who would be willing to settle amongst them. They also made arrangements to secure the occasional assistance of neighbouring clergymen, to preach with them, and administer the ordinances of religion. Accordingly their desk was for some time supplied by several candidates, and they were often visited by the neighbouring ministers but all this time they felt as sheep without a shepherd, and Divine Providence did not seem to open a way for the settlement of a clergyman till the year 1806, when Mr. Benham, a candidate for holy orders, and who is their present Rector, read prayers for them at their request, and was soon after desired to take the pastoral charge of the Parish, as soon as he was ordained to the ministry. Pursuant to this request Mr. B entered into an agreement with the committees from the three parishes of New-Milford, NewPreston, and Roxbury, to become their pastor, as soon as he should obtain holy orders, and to receive annually for his services the sum of five hundred dollars. Mr. B. accordingly commenced his services as a candidate, on Easter Sunday, in 1807, and soon after removed his

family to New-Milford. Thus the parishes were again supplied with the regular services of a pastor residing amongst them; and agreeably to their expectations, Mr. B. was ordained Deacon on the 16th of the following September, in the Church at Bridgeport, by the late Right Rev. Bishop Jarvis ; and on the 31st of the following August he was ordained Priest in the Church at Norwalk, by the same Bishop.

Thus the expectations of the parishes were answered, and universal harmony prevailed in the Cure.-Since Mr. Benham's assumption of the pastoral charge, a number of very valuable acquisitions have been made to the Parish and Church, who have been liberal in their gifts, and faithful and frequent attendants at the altar of their God and Saviour, and whose praise is already in the Churches. What the members of the Parish have done to advance the pecuniary interests of the Church generally, and of this Parish in particular, will hereafter we trust appear in the Treasurer's book.

And may the rising and future generations be prompted to similar works of faith and labours of love, by the example of the pious and liberal among their predecessors, that when the Divine Head of the Church shall appear in judgment, they, with their fathers who have been devoted to the cause of Christ, may receive the cheering commendation, "Well done, good and faithful servants, enter ye into the joys of your Lord.” Feb. 1, 1821.

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VOL. I.]

THE

CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE.

DECEMBER, 1821.

From the London Jewish Expositor.

Specimen of Welch Preaching.

Ar a meeting of Ministers at Bristol, the Rev. Mr. invited

several of his brethren to sup with him; among them was the Minister officiating at the Welch Meeting house, in that city. He was an entire stranger to all the company, and silently attentive to the general conversation of his brethren. The subject on which they were discoursing was the different strains of public preaching. When several had given their opinions, and had mentioned some individuals as good preachers, and such as were models as to style of composition, &c. Mr.

turned to the Welch stranger, and solicited his opinion. He said he felt it to be a privilege to be silent when such men were discoursing; but that he felt it to be a duly to comply with his request. "But," said he," if I must give my opinion, I should say, that ye have no good preachers in England. "No," said Mr. L "No," said he; "that is, I mean no such preaching as we have in the Principality." " I know," said Mr. L--, 66 you are famous for jumping in Wales, but that is not owing, I suppose, so much to the strain of preaching which the people hear, as to the enthusiasm of their characters." "Indeed," said the Welchman, "you would jump too, if you heard and understood such preaching." "Why,"

VOL. I. No. XII.

45

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said Mr. L-, 66 do you not think I could make them jump if I were to preach to them ?" "You make them jump," exclaimed the Welchman, you make them jump? A Welchman would set fire to the world, while you were lighting your match." The whole company became very much interested in this ly requested the good man to give turn of the subject, and unanimousthem some specimen of the style and manner of preaching in the he, I cannot give you; if John EliPrincipality. "Specimen," said specimen indeed! Oh! John Elias as were here, he would give you a is a great preacher." "Well," said the company, "give us something that you have heard from him " "Oh no," said he, "I cannot do justice to it; besides, do you understand the Welch language ?" They said " no, not so as to follow a disThen, said he, it is impossible for you to understand it, if I were to give you a specimen." "But," said they, cannot you put it into English?" "Oh !" said he, "your poor meagre language would spoil it; it is not capable of expressing those ideas which a Welchman specimen in English without spoiling can conceive; I cannot give you a it." The interest of the company was increased, and nothing would do but something of a specimen ; allowance for the language. "Well," while they promised to make every said the Welchman, "if you must have a piece, I must try, but I don't

course.

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66

know what to give you, I do not recollect a piece of John Elias, he is our best preacher; 1 must think a little ;--well, I recollect a piece of Christmas Evans. Christmas Evans was a good preacher, and I heard him a little time ago, at an associa tion of Ministers. He was preaching on the depravity of man by sin of his recovery by the death of CHRIST. He said— Brethren, if I were to represent to you in a figure, the condition of man as a sinner, and the means of his recovery by the cross of JESUS CHRIST, I should represent it something in this way: suppose a large grave-yard, surrounded by a high wall, with only one entrance, which is by a large iron gate, which is fast bolled. Within these walls are thousands and tens of thousands of human beings, of all ages and of all classes, by one epidemic disease bending to the grave; the grave yawns to swallow them, and they must die. There is no balm to relieve them—no physician there -they must perish. This is the condition of a man as a sinner-all, all have sinned, and "the soul that sinneth it shall die." While man was in this deplorable state, Mercy, the darling attribute of Deity, came down and stood at the gate, looking at the scene, and wept over it, ex claiming, "Oh, that I might enter, I would bind up their wounds-I would relieve their sorrows-I would save their souls!" While Mercy stood weeping at the gate, an embassy of angels, commissioned from the court of Heaven to some other world, passing over, paused at the sight, and Heaven forgave that pause; and seeing Mercy standing there, they cried. "Mercy, Mercy, can you not enter? Can you look upon this scene and not pity? Can you pity and not relieve? Mercy replied, "I can see!" and in her tears she added, "I car. pity, but, I cannot relieve." Why can you not enter "Oh!" said Mercy,

66

"Justice has barred the gate against me, and I cannot, must not, unbar it." At this moment. Justice bimself appeared, as it were to watch the gate. The angels enquired of him, "Why will you not le: Mercy in?" Justice replied, "my law is brokeu, and it must be honoured; die they or Justice must!" At this there appeared a form among the the angelic band, like unto the Son of Gop, who addressing himself to Justice, said, "What are thy demands ?" Justice replied, "my terms are stern and rigid--I must have sickness for their health-I must have ignominy for their honour

I must have death for life. Without shedding of blood there is no remission." "Justice," said the Son of GoD, "I accept thy terms. On me be this wrong, and let Mercy enter." "When," said Justice, "will you perform this promise ?" JESUS replied four thousand years hence upon the hill of Calvary, without the gates of Jerusalem, I will perform it in my own person." The deed was prepared and signed in the presence of the angels of God— Justice was satisfied, and Mercy entered preaching Salvation in the name of JESUS- The deed was committed to the Patriarchs, by them to the Kings of Israel and the Prophets, by them it was preserved till Daniel's seventy weeks were accomplished; then at the appointed time, Justice appeared on the hill of Calvary, and Mercy presented unto him the important deed. "Where," said Justice," is the Son of God !” Mercy answered, "behold him at the bottom of the hill bearing his own cross ;" and then she departed and stood aloof at the hour of trial. Jest's ascended the hill, while in his train followed his weeping Church. Justice immediately presented him with the deed, saying, "this is the day when this bond is to be executed." When he received it, did he tear it in pieces, and give it to the

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For the Churchman's Magazine.
On Christian Liberality.

THE great principle of Christian charity and liberality, is constantly set before us and inculcated in the gospel. We are commanded to pray for our enemies: and the duty of extending, even to notorious sinners, the hand of hospitality and kindness, is enforced, not only by the precepts, but by the example also, of our blessed Lord and Master. It may seem strange, therefore, at first thought, that a passage should be found in the sacred volume, from under the hand of an apostle of our Saviour, in such apparent contradiction to these distinguished principles, as the following:-"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that bid deth him God speed, is partaker of his evil deeds."-2 John, 10, 11. But, on further examination, it will be found, that no such contradiction really exists; and that the direction in this passage might have been followed at the time it was written, and may be followed under similar circumstances now, without any violation of the principles or precepts of the gospel.

The second epistle of John, was

addressed to a woman of distinguished piety, who lived at an early period of the Christian era, when the converts to the doctrines of the gospel were few and scattered, and when the means of information were of course very limited; and was designed among other things, to put this woman and her household, ou their guard against a certain description of imposters and deceivers, who denied the incarnation of the Son of God" who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh."

These false teachers, like their followers of modern times. were very industrious in disseminating their heresies-travelling from place to place, and attempting, by specious and plausible reasoning, to seduce the Christian converts from the true faith-asserting, among other things, thst Christ did not really ap pear in the flesh; that he did not become man, but only assumed the appearance of the human nature; and that his performances and sufferings were not real, but altogether illusory.

Such men, it may well be conceived, could not be viewed by the apostle, in the light of ignorant or misguided victims of imposture ; nor could the principles which they disseminated, be viewed with indifference. On the contrary, they were considered as wicked and mischievous teachers-not deceived themselves, but deceiving and seducing others: And their heretical tenets were calculated and designed, at a single blow, as it were, to overturn the whole gospel scheme of salvation; to subvert the doctrine of grace, as founded on the atonement of Christ; to destroy the hopes of believers; and to turn the whole system of faith into a dream or illu sion.

Now, it is not pretended, that even to such men, the ordinary offices of hospitality were to be denicd: But by advising this woman.

not to receive them into her house,
the apostle intended to caution her
against receiving them as welcome
and acceptable guests, or as familiar
friends; aud against treating them
with such respect and attention, as
to give credit or currency to their
doctrines, and to enable them the
more effectually to spread abroad
their heresies. And, above all, he
charged her not to bid any such
person, "God speed”—giving as a
reason, that he that biddeth him
GOD SPEED,
is a partaker of his
evil deeds”—that is, by wishing suc-
cess to men engaged in such enter-
prizes-by giving encouragement to
them--or, in short, by greeting them
even with a friendly salutation-she
was promoting their designs, by
giving them more confidence and
courage, and inducing others to hear
and receive their doctrines with the
less suspicion; and thereby becom-
ing chargeable with much of the
evil and mischief, produced by the
dissemination of their heresies.

Thus we perceive, that there is nothing in the direction embraced in the passage before us, contradictory to the great principle of Christian charity and liberality; and that this direction might have been followed at the time it was written, without the least violation of the spirit of the gospel.

But it is our principal object to ap ply this rule to present existing circumstances; and to enquire, how Christians are, at this time, to treat that sect of deceivers and false teachers, who deny the incarnation of the Saviour ?

If, within a century of the birth of our Saviour, the apostle felt bound to say--"Many deceivers are entered into the world; who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the

flesh"-it must not be deemed surprizing, if such deceivers are still found in the Christian world. And if the apostle then thought proper to stigmatize each of these deceivers,

as "an anti-christ"--there can be
no impropriety in ascribing to them
the same anti-christian spirit now.
It may, however, be a matter of
doubt, in the minds of many, wheth-
er the Christian world has, in mod-
ern times, been much infested by the
propagators of heresies of this de-
scription. But if those who deny
that Jesus Christ came in the flesh-
that the Son of God, the second per-
son in the Trinity, became incar
nate-and, assuming the human na-
ture, suffered and died for the sins
of the world;-if those, I say, who
deny this great and fundamental ar-
ticle of the Christian faith, be de-
ceivers and anti-christs, we certain-
ly need not look back solely to the
early ages of the Church to find
them. The present state of the dis-
senting congregations both of Eu-
rope and America, furnish abundant
and melancholy proofs, that many
deceivers of this description are en-
tered into the world. It is true, and
we are bound to acknowledge it with
gratitude, that the Episcopal Church
has thus far been enabled, through
divine favor, to present a formidable
barrier against corruptions of this na-
ture. A regularly constituted and
faithful ministry-an apostolic form
of church government-a precom-
posed liturgy-and a well-settled
bond of faith-have been happily
instrumental, in the hand of God, in
preserving this Church from the pre-
vailing anti-christian heresies. But,
when surrounded by danger, if not
immediately threatened, it behoves
us, in common with the orthodox of
other persuasions, to enquire, how
we can treat those deceivers, who
are entered into the world, who con-
fess not that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh, without violating, on the
one hand, the principle of Christian
charity and liberality, or incurring,
on the other, the charge of partak-
ing of their evil deeds.

It is to be observed, in the first place, that those who have fallen in

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