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the advice which we are to be accountable for following; it is easy to see there could be no greater absurdity in legislation than this. Is it possible that there could be found one that would for a moment defend this? And yet, notwithstanding the absurdity of the case, whether we refer it to the government of God or man, it is a fact that there have been, and a fact that there still are, thousands, and tens of thousands, who would assert the right of uninspired and fallible authority over the exercise of private judgment, and would deny to man its exercise.

Let us, however, my friends, revert to the text, "Prove all things;" and the moment we come to the plain and obvious meaning of this command, we are relieved from all the absurdities at which we have been glancing. I am commanded to" rejoice in my youth, and to let my heart cheer me in the days of my youth;" but I am reminded, that for all these things God will bring me into judgment." Then I am commanded, as the truth has been revealed, to believe and to live, or to reject the testimony of God and perish. Then I am commanded to prove all things as I pass onwards, “that I may give in my account with joy at last, and not with grief:" and I then understand my responsibility; I feel the just weight of it. I know that it justly belongs to me to be responsible to the tribunal of God, when he permits me thus to think, and thus to act on my own judgment: and I come then to the passage before me with the experience of its truth, and its power, when says, "Prove all things."

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Such, then, my friends, being the arguments derived from Scripture, in support of the exercise of the right of private judgment, let me direct your attention to another argument in support of that right, derived from the nature of the powers and faculties that God has given us. Why was it that God gave you the power of judging at all? Was it merely that you might judge in the things of time? Was it merely that you might judge concerning the things that are all perishing? Was it merely that you might preserve a short life upon the earth, and that you might carry your judgment no further? Is it possible that any one who thinks soundly and philosophically on the doings of God, and the way in which he suits the means to the end in all cases, could for a moment suppose that he gives to mankind the exercise of private judgment at all for the mere purpose of employing it in the affairs of time, while he forbids it in reference to the affairs of eternity? Would he allow you to judge what you are to eat, or what you are to drink, or wherewithal you shall be clothed, or wherewithal you are to provide a place in which you are to dwell in safety in the land; and would he lead you to exercise your judgment upon these things for a few passing years, and then relinquish the judgment so employed, and lie down in the tomb, while he would overlook the bright and the extended immortality that lies beyond the grave, and tell you that this faculty, important as it is, was never intended to be exercised in reference to eternity? Would he give you judgment for time, and none for immortality? judgment for earth, and none for heaven? judgment for the state of your trial and probation, and none at all in reference to the state of your ultimate and eternal destiny? There is something in this so extremely absurd, that, we cannot entertain it. The faculty of judgment was given that every thing might be proved, according to the text, "Prove all things," and that the result of that proof might be, the application of the best principles to your

conduct in time, that you might be by them made meet for the noblest destiny you could enjoy in heaven.

If such, my friends, be the arguments that may be adduced in support of the exercise of private judgment in matters of religion, without going further into any other argument, let me ask, Are they not conclusive? What is it that we find defective in them? Let me repeat their outline: the epistles of a public nature are addressed to all the members of the church: in these epistles the strongest injunctions are laid down to the exercise of private judgment: the epistles that are addressed to individuals never interdict the exercise of that right: our accountability to God proves, as it is an individual accountability, that we must exercise the right; for individual judgment implies individual responsibility: the powers and faculties which God has given us tell us they were not intended to be shut up to time, but were intended to have reference to eternity; and therefore the exercise of the right of private judgment will be found to be established by the very fact, that we are possessed of such powers and such faculties. Incapable, therefore, of taking any other view of the argument than this, and incapable of admitting that there is any force in the objections with which I set out, viewing it in the light in which I have endeavoured to place it, I cannot see any thing in the Word of God, in the consequences of the right of private judgment, or in the nature of the faculties that we have received from God, that would not maintain, that it is not only our right, but our duty, to “ prove all things."

That being the case, as an inference from the right of private judgment, which you see I should maintain to the utmost possible extent, I would say, there are certain duties to be discharged; and to these duties I would now direct your attention.

It is your duty, in the first place, to search the Scriptures. For what have we about which to judge, unless we have the Word of Truth, the gospel o salvation? To speak of the exercise of private judgment where we have laid up no means to direct it; to speak of the exercise of private judgment where we have acquired no information on the subject to be judged; would be to involve ourselves in the utmost possible measure of absurdity. And to obtain the right of the exercise of private judgment, without ministering that faculty to the knowledge and the glory of God, as shewn in the face of Jesus Christ, would be to contend for a privilege without once intending to enjoy it; and for a right which you never meant to maintain. We criminate ourselves deeply before God, if, while we are contending for the right of private judgment, we are not searching the oracles about which alone that faculty can possibly be engaged. What, my friends, should we think of a judge who insisted on his right to give a decision, on his prerogative to give judgment and to pronounce sentence, while he refused to listen to any witnesses, while he refused to regard any evidence, while he withheld his attention from any thing offered to him, and in this ignorance of all connected with the judgment he was to pronounce was found yet insisting, that as he had the right to pronounce he would do it? Should we not regard such a judge as unworthy of the office he held? Should we not regard him as destitute of all the qualities necessary for the discharge of the duties of that office? Nay, should we not at once petition the legislature of the land to have him dismissed, by the interference of the highest

authority, in order that we might save the lives, and the properties, and the privileges, of our fellow-men from the unrighteous decisions of such a judge? We are in the same predicament if we are insisting on the exercise of the right of private judgment in matters of religion, and are not informing ourselves on the contents of the Book of God. We have nothing upon which to form a decision in religion but the Bible. We have no means to assist us, except the means supplied by it: and if the Word of God is neglected by us, we have no means on which to rest our decisions; and we are giving judgment without evidence, and insisting on pronouncing a determination without looking for a moment into the testimony that is accessible.

If that be the case, then, you can easily see the criminality of judging, the criminality of exercising the right of private judgment, without examining the Word of Truth. But I do not say, Withhold the exercise of your judgment, and let the Word of Truth be neglected, and then you are consistent. No; I should say that this would be an ungodly consistency. It would be like the judge to whom I referred, if he were to insist that he would resign the decision and refuse the evidence too; the consequence would be general confusion and anarchy throughout the land; for crime would go unpunished, and the laws would remain unobserved. In the same way, if you withhold the exercise of private judgment, because you refuse the Word of Truth-there is a consistency, to be sure, here, but it is a wicked and unhallowed consistency; a consistency which will be at once your shame and your ruin when you come to the tribunal of heaven. It is therefore our duty to search the Scriptures, and to search them more and more, that we may have something on which to exercise our judgment, which it is our right in defiance of the highest authority to exercise, in reference to the things of God.

Another duty arises out of the consideration of the exercise of private judgment in religion-the duty of stimulating others by teaching them the great things of God. If it be our duty to exercise the right of private judgment, and at the same time our duty to make ourselves acquainted with the Word of God, it is equally the duty of our fellow-men around us to exercise this right, and to inform themselves on the contents of the Word of God, that they may exercise it properly. If that be the case, we are bound to tell them so; and the diffusion of the glad tidings of the glorious Gospel of the ever-blessed God naturally follows as an incumbent duty on every one of us if we would encourage the due and proper exercise of the right of private judgment.

Finally, we learn another duty from the subject we have been consideringthat is, the duty of duly appreciating the statements of those who would hold out revelation as unworthy of your acceptance because it tends to trammel the powers of the mind, and to contract the views which we might otherwise entertain upon a large scale. Never permit the enemies of revelation to persuade you that these are its consequences. You see we defend the right of private judgment in matters of religion; we do not wish to impose spiritual bonds. We answer and we rebut the objections made to the exercise of this right, and press it home on you as a solemn obligation. We direct your attention to the duties which follow from the exercise of this right; and we tell you if they are not met in the free and willing exercise of your own powers, no other attempt at discharging these duties can be accepted at the throne of grace. We address you as men: we speak as unto wise men; judge ye what

we say. We wish to put no yoke upon you that you ought not to bear; the only yoke we impose is the Word of God. And while we do this, if there are those who would contract the powers of your mind, and the views you entertain, and trammel the exercise of your faculties in the matter of religion, always let it be remembered that this is not our case, for we apprize you of the liberty with which Christ has made you free.

Then let me leave with you the consideration of this important right; let no man take it from you: but while you hold it, hold it conscientiously, exercise it honestly, direct it by the whole Word of God, and the examination of all its contents: and when you have done so you will have thus "proved all things," and will be enabled to "hold fast that which is good." Asserting, therefore, the right of private judgment, go forth acting upon that right, and examining evidence: and while you feel yourselves compelled to decide, let your decision be grounded on the evidence which the Word of God contains.

THE BIBLE THE WORD OF GOD AND THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

REV. T. MORTIMER, B.D.

ST. MARK'S CHURCH, PENTONVILLE, OCTOBER 4, 1835.

"The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."-EPHESIANS, vi. 17.

It was my privilege, last evening, to meet many of you in the house of prayer, and, after offering up our supplications together at the throne of grace, I endeavoured, as you may remember, to bring before you some brief biographical history of the life, sufferings, and labours, and the peaceful death of Miles Coverdale, Bishop of Exeter, who, three centuries since, as on this very day, completed the first entire version of the Holy Bible in the English language. This day we meet again in the house and presence of God, we will hope, under the blessed teaching influence of the Holy Spirit. I do not intend to enter upon any point upon which real Christians can at all differ; on the contrary, I purpose to keep very close to common principles.

This Sabbath-day is a high day: from one end of Great Britain to the other, we hope and trust that the ministers of God's Word and sacraments will be calling the attention of their people to the supreme excellency, the supreme importance, and perfect sufficiency of God's holy Word. Upon this point, then, where the faithful servants of Christ may all agree, let us meet: we have our minor differences, and we attach to them no very small measure of importance either; but on this day we hold out to all the Protestant churches the right hand of Christian fellowship, while we commemorate this great and glorious event, and bless God and take courage. I am not, indeed, going to pass a penegyric upon the character and labours of Miles Coverdale: a faithful man of God he was; and mark how he has risen to honour. He died in comparative obscurity and want he asked, as you may remember I told you last night, but for a small portion of this world's goods; he said, "That would be quite enough for poor Miles, who had but a little longer to live;" and with difficulty did he obtain that. But little did he think that three centuries, or nearly three centuries, after his death, his name would be mentioned from one end of Great Britain to another, and that with marked honour and praise. But we have no command (God forbid we should, have) to glorify the saints, and martyrs, the bishops and pastors of God's word departed to their rest. No; "They glorified God in me;" that is the principle. All glory be to God, and to God alone, and to God for ever. I come now rather to direct your attention to that invaluable treasure which, on this day three centuries ago, appeared for the first time in an English dress before the world. Up to this period parts only, I should say, of the Holy Scriptures

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