My dear Friends, I have lately been thinking much upon the importance of the relation subsisting between a minister and his congregation. This connection is infinitely momentous, as it must have a most powerful influence upon our most serious and valuable concerns, and must affect deeply, and for ever our future state. I am the bearer to you of that message from God, which is the savour of life unto life, or of death unto death. I have already conducted many to the verge of that eternity into which they have been summoned; into that eternity I shall myself shortly enter; and there I shall at length stand in the presence of our Judge, surrounded by you my congregation. How desirable is it that we should meet in joy, and not in sorrow; not only that I should have been found to have been faithful, but that I should be able to "present every one of you perfect in Christ Jesus." be aroused, your understandings enlightened, your hearts renewed, your comfort promoted, and that you may be "rooted and built up in Christ, established in the faith, abounding therein with thanksgiving, and unblameable in holiness before God." Let each of us then seriously consider, and resolutely adopt every method, by which it is likely that the blessings of grace may be secured to himself, and to the church and congregation. On a review of our state, we shall see much reason for ardent gratitude, and at the same time for deep humiliation, for earnest prayer, and for strenuous exertion. The congregation, though it has from obvious causes somewhat declined, is still considerable, the regularity of most of our friends from the villages, and of many in the town is truly exemplary; and the general attention which prevails, is a pleasing evidence that the greater part of the hearers are interested in the services. The church, notwithstanding its losses Allow me, therefore, affectionately and urgently to request that you will, with all your hearts and by an unnecessary division, and souls, not only in justice to me, but in compassion to yourselves, concur with me in this mighty undertaking. by an extraordinary number of deaths and dismissions, has decreased since the death of Mr. Fuller, by only thirteen members; and I am most happy to be able to state, that for some years it has walked in love and peace, and has enjoyed the consequent advantages of christian comfort. Your minister stands greatly in need of constant divine illumination and instruction, and of a perpetual and an abundant supply of divine influence, that he may see more clearly, and feel more deeply There has been, I trust, in many, the excellency of Christ, the beauty an increase of piety and of zeal, of holiness, and the value of souls; there has been a renewal in the and that he may be able rightly and attendance on our weekly meetaffectionately to point out the way ings, and the frequenters of our of salvation, to illustrate and en- Sabbath evening prayer meetings, force the Scriptures, and to dis- were never before so numerous. charge the arduous duties of his Those valuable institutions, the office; and you stand in need of Sunday Schools, are on the whole the same spiritual influence, that in a prosperous state, and continue by the blessing of God on his mi- to enjoy the sanction of the connistrations, your consciences may tributors, the visitors, the parents, and the teachers. Your minister | norance, in impenitence, and under receives increasing and unequivo- the tremendous weight of unparcal proofs of the esteem and cordoned sin; and that there are still dial approbation of his people, in numbers amongst us, in all the expressions and acts of kindness, stages of life, whose consciences which at times produce in his mind overwhelming feelings of gratitude, and of pleasure. And what is most of all, the word of God appears to have been in a considerable number of instances, attended with success, and to have been rendered effectual to the salvation of souls. But amidst these pleasing appearances, there are many things which occasion discouragement and regret. The attendance of some of the people is exceedingly irregular and remiss: too many content themselves with appearing in the house of God only once in the day, as is evident by the comparative scantiness of the morning congregation; and hence both these classes lose many of the discourses which are most calculated to do them good. The places of those, who have been removed by Providence, are not all supplied by a succession of hearers. The monthly prayer meetings are not so well attended as their importance demands; and these, as well as the weekly meetings, are neglected, even by some of the members of the church. The lives of some, to say the least, are not highly ornamental to their profession, and they display but little zeal, and make but few and feeble efforts for the salvation of souls, and for the increase of religion. are asleep, whose hearts are unchanged, and who are pursuing those paths, which inevitably lead to eternal death. Now my object in this address is to arouse all our minds to a solemn sense of the necessity of doing all in our power to avert these evils, which are of various magnitude, but the least of which may be pronounced infinite. Let me urge you who are in an unconverted state to think of the perils of that state, and to flee without delay, and with all your might, from the wrath to come. Cast off all base fear of man, and all false shame under the imperious influence of the fear of God, and the apprehension of that everlasting shame and contempt to which the wicked shall awake. Apply to all the means of grace, apply to your Bible, apply to the throne of mercy, apply to the Saviour of sinners, and you shall find that "the same God over all, is rich unto all that call upon him, and that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Let me entreat you, who through the grace of God have believed, to unite yourselves at once to his professed people. For this the early stages of religion are the most favourable. The church is the vineyard of God, and there should be planted the young trees of righteousness, for there will they be more secure, and appear more ornamental, and there will they flourish in richer luxuriance and fruitfulness. There are among us many christians, who have declined for years to unite themselves with the church, and some of whom have grown old without observing the ordinances of God. But what is most Your present conduct is discoudistressing are the awful facts, that raging to your minister, and to there have been many who after your pious friends. It is detrihaving long attended here, appear mental to yourselves, as it robs to have entered into eternity in ig-you of the peace which springs motion of their own comfort and from obedience, and deprives you of the benefits of Divine Institu- improvement, and to the advantions: it undermines and weakens tage of the church? "Whatsothe church of God, for you not ever your hand finds to do, do it only withhold from it your own with your might." I proposed at support, but so far as the influence church-meeting, on Thursday last, of your example extends, you di- with the full concurrence of those minish in the minds of others their present, that all the members should ideas of its importance. You are make a point of attending the guilty of treating with practical church-meetings, that all should contempt the visible kingdom of Christ, and the holy ordinances of religion, and thus your conduct is injurious to men and offensive to God. Allow me further to stimulate professing Christians to perform their part in endeavouring to obtain the divine blessing; that they may enjoy prosperity in their own souls, and may have the happiness to behold it in the church and congregation. Ye come prepared to unite in earnest prayer for the church and congregation, and that two members and the minister should engage at every meeting, until each has had an opportunity of expressing in his own language his solemn supplications in the presence of his brethren, and of his God. These methods appear to me, for many reasons which I shall not now mention, to be preferable to those especial meetings which some recommend. Should Much depends upon you. they be adopted, and should they are the lights of the world. Oh! succeed, they will encourage me, hide not, obscure not, in this state if blessed with life and renewed of night, where sinners are wan- health, to labour among you with dering around in darkness, the increasing pleasure, to promote light which the Holy Spirit has your immortal interests and the kindled. Seriously, and with prayer glory of God. examine yourselves, and consider the state of the church and congregation. Is there any sin or inconsistency of which you are guilty, is there any means of grace, or of usefulness, of which you are neg-(In Answer to the Queries in the September ligent? Might you not derive more advantage from the reading of the Scriptures, and from public worship? Might not your prayers be more constant, comprehensive, and As your Correspondents have bedevotional? Are there not per- gun to notice some existing evils sons whose ignorance you might amongst Protestant Dissenters, it remove, whose consciences you is the wish of the writer and his might alarm, whom you might lead friends that they would proceed, to the house of God, whose souls, by until they have cleansed the Aua blessing on your vigorous efforts, gæan stable of all its defilements. you might possibly save? Are I allude to the notices which have there not Christians, whose fears, been paid in your Magazine to the difficulties, and errors you might words Reverend and Divine, as remove, and whom you might in-applied to poor erring mortals. If duce to unite with us, to the pro- my advice could be followed, I ON THE APPLICATION OF THE TERMS and October Numbers.) To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. would recommend that you publish | praise to graven images, so neither in your work an Index Expurga- does he allow those whom he has torius, (and in this instance imitate condescended to employ in his the Mother of Abominations,) which service, to invest themselves with shall include such titles, &c. as his dignity, or arrogate any of his ought to be for ever banished from titles. the lips and writings of the persons alluded to above, I mean Protestant Dissenters of all denomina tions. I begin with the word Reverend. If I mistake not, this word is only once to be found in sacred writ, and there it is applied to the Divine Being, "holy and reverend is his name," not prefixed or appended to any other name, but the name itself. Now, if rightly considered, is it not bordering upon blasphemy thus to assume the name of the great and blessed God? If the word "reverend" must be taken, why not the other word, viz. holy? Upon the same principle, may not the name Jehovah be assumed, or any other name by which the blessed God has revealed himself? Let the Pope, the Man of Sin, style himself not only holy, but Holiness-but must Protestant Dissenters thus ape him, at least in part? Did the apostles and first ministers of the Gospel ever assume such titles? Plain Paul, Peter, John, &c. satisfied them. Did not our blessed Lord forbid his disciples to be called Rabbi, and enjoin it upon them to call no man Master upon earth? Let your readers, Sir, but recur to first principles, and they will perceive that the religion of the blessed Jesus needs no such support, and is in the spirit of it incompatible with such appendages. The promise is not made to those who honour themselves or one another, but "they that honour me,' ," saith the Lord, "I will honour." Let us remember that God is a jealous God; and as he will not give his glory to another, or his I remain, I hope I can say, a well-wisher to the cause of genuine Christianity, P. Q. To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. The term Reverend, which is used only once in the Scriptures, (Ps. cxi. 9.) is applied to the Supreme Being. This is thought by some to be a sufficient reason why it should never be given to man. Now, to the writer, it appears futile to object to it on that ground; for once admit the principle, that the appropriation of a name or title to the Deity precludes the application of it from mortals, although employed in a very different and inferior sense, and the admission would conduct to consequences where the most pious objector to such terms would be afraid to follow it. The objection appears to the writer to assume this capital error, viz. that words have an abstract meaning of their own, which they retain in relation to every topic; thus conveying to the mind precisely the same idea, independently of the subject to which they are applied. This, however, is not the fact. Surely it will not be maintained that the pious and intelligent, who think proper to reverence their fellow-creatures, give to them the same kind and degree of reverence as that which they ascribe to the Almighty. To say that in a lower and qualified sense the same terms may never be given to man, which in their full and highest import are applicable only to his Maker, would be to impeach the character of that exalted Being for whose honour we | habit of corresponding by letters are professedly contending. Jehovah, on one occasion, told Moses, that he had made a god of him to Pharaoh, Exod. vii. 1. Magistrates and civil rulers, we find, are frequently styled gods, as in Exod. xxii. 28; Ps. lxxxii. 6; John x. 34; but no one possessed of common sense will suppose that the same obedience is due to men, however dignified and exalted their official character, which is due to the Supreme. Besides, we know that God is expressly called Father in very many passages of Scripture: so also is our earthly parent: but who ever thinks that God is a father in the same sense that an earthly parent is? And yet God says, A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master; if I then be a father, where is mine honour?" &c. It is certainly the duty of children to honour their parents, inasmuch as God himself commands it; and he has said of himself too," them that honour me I will honour." But who among those that are parents ever thought of teaching their children to honour them with the same kind and degree of honour which they should render to the Great Creator of all things? Moreover, an apostle says, "We have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them reverence:" which, be it observed, the inspired writer does not at all object to; but he further remarks, that we certainly ought "rather to be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live;" i. e. if an earthly parent be deemed worthy of reverence, much more should the Great Eternal be thought worthy of it. Hence the apostle adds, in the same chapter, "Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.' The writer is occasionally in the with different individuals, some of whom address him by his name, with the addition of " Mr. ;" while others add the term "Rev." With regard to his own feelings, it matters not which; for he thinks it beneath the dignity of a man to notice any thing about it in a way of animadversion. He would rather say, with a living author, who also, as well as your Correspondent PHILALETHES, resides in KENT, "I ask no man to call me Reverend; if any one thinks fit to give me that title, esteeming it a suitable token of respect, he is at perfect liberty to do so; but I assume it not myself, and am offended with no man because he withholds it."-See Groser's Lectures on Popery. But now, perhaps, it will be said, "If the writer is not fond of the title Reverend, what induces him to contend for the use of it?" To which he begs leave to reply, that he does not contend for its use, but simply maintains that the reason urged against the propriety of using it, is not a valid and legitimate ground of objection. To him it appears altogether a matter of indifference, being neither commanded nor prohibited in the Sacred Scriptures. At the same time, we know that in those inspired pages, the names of God, Lord, Master, Father, &c. are frequently applied both to the Divine Being and to man; though, as already observed, in a widely different sense. To maintain, that because the terms cannot be applicable to the Infinite Jehovah and to mortals in the same sense, that therefore they are in no sense applicable to both, would be an impeachment of the divine wisdom, which in the sacred volume has indiscriminately applied them. In a limited and subordinate sense, many of the rela |