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Hence that which is thought to be necessary, often becomes in the end a source of much evil.*

We are expressly certified in this deed to whom the church exclusively belongs. A transfer is here most solemnly made to Almighty God, upon the same principle that one man executes a deed of gift, in favor of another. Henceforth the builders are to consider themselves as having no farther right in the edifice, than what is lodged in their hands as stewards of God, who are entrusted with the care of using it as the deed directs. Neither can a retraction be made, lest in the undertaking, the imputation of sacrilege, with its sure, though often delayed punishment, be found to pursue the offender.

The pitiful excuses made by some for not dedicating their churches, are too weak to deserve our censure, and manifest that the proprietors are either ignorant of the nature of the conveyance, or distrustful of God's providential care; if the former be the cause of hindrance, it is hoped that an attentive perusal of the deed here inserted will entirely remove it; if the latter, we have only to say, that the piety of men is to be little accredited, who neglect to dedicate to God a building ostensibly erected for his service, and even dignified with the appellation of the house of God. An unseserved appropriation of an edifice of cost and beauty to the service of God, done sincerely and without sinister views, is an act of piety much to be commended, and is doubtless such as will render the performers worthy objects of God's favor; but we are certified by no substantial reason, that God will bless with his presence and favor a building unnecessarily delayed to be dedicated to his service, or even the proprietors thereof.

The attention of the reader should also be arrested with the stress, that is laid upon the Liturgy throughout this deed of dedication." According to the Liturgy of the Protestant Episcopal Church of America," do the people desire, according thereunto does the bishop consecrate their church. Here the use of it is absolutely defined, and the frequent repetition of the terms, fully demonstrate what emphasis and energy is laid upon this circumstance. The propriety of constituting the Liturgy in this case as a foundation, is obvious to every episcopalian; it being the criterion of a churchman; a compendium of divinity comprehending all things necessary to doctrine and discipline. What a degree of contradiction, and inconsistency must then be attached to the conduct of those members of the church, whose itching ears instigate them to open the sacred door of that desk, dedicated to God upon so peculiar and definite a foundation, for the admission of a self-instituted

• As unavoidable as the practice of thus transacting the parish business may be, still we have reason to think that in the execution of it, a due degree of veneration for the place is not always observed. May I not justly call in question the propriety of metamorphosing the desk into the chair of a mode. rator, or a table for a scribe? Indeed this bears hard upon an infringement of the sanctity of the place, and looks too much like putting to a common use that part of the church which is universally allowed and esteemed as claiming the greatest share of our reverence.

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preacher, whose only recommendation to the notice of mankind may be his inveterate enmity to the forms and Liturgy of that church, within whose sacred walls he has gained admittance? Then are our unaccustomed ears constrained to hear doctrines contradictory to those upon which the church is founded and dedicated; contrary to that form of sound words, usually proceeding from the same pulpit. Those who show patronage to such things, may be conceived to reason with the wicked in the Psalms of David, who confidently exclaim, tush, God hath forgotten.

OBSERVER.

The Duties of Priest and People

Deduced from the consideration that he is "The Messenger of the Lord of Hosts." Preached before the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church of Connecticut, holden at Newtown Oct. 8, 1806. By the Rev. HENRY WHITLOCK, Rector of St. Paul's Church, Norwalk.

"The Priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts." Mal. 11. 7.

A PRIEST is a person appointed of God, a mediator between heaven and earth. He acts as a messenger from God to the people, and as an intercessor for the people to God. The only true priest in himself is Christ Jesus; who, by the stipulated price of his blood to be shed in due time, purchased from the Father the kingdom over our fallen race, and thus became, both before and after his incarnation, the only Mediator between God and man. From Him, the fountain of the priesthood, all priestly ministra tion, whether Patriarchal, Mosaic, or Christian, derives its whole efficacy.

He is the author and finisher of the religion of faith, the only true religion since the commencement of his mediatorial kingdom. Being the Light of the world, he is the original teacher from whom all other teachers of true religion derive their knowledge. Being the messenger of the covenant of life and peace, he is eminently the priest whose lips keep knowledge, and at whose mouth the law is to be sought.

But the text has a primary reference to the Levitical priesthood, and is also equally applicable to the christian ministry. It affirms that The priest is the messenger of the Lord of hosts, adducing this as the reason that his lips should keep knowledge, and that the people should seek the law at his mouth.

From this reasoning we are taught that moral and religious knowledge is a message from God communicated to mankind through the medium of priesthood; that it therefore originates from Revelation, not from human reason or nature.

This doctrine is supported by many passages of scripture, and by the experience of mankind. We read that it is God" that teacheth man knowledge, and the inspiration of the Almighty giv eth him understanding" and that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." The first man was under his imme

diate teaching, and held familiar converse with him. From no other teacher could he learn the will of his Maker, and the necessary arts of life.

The celebrated Mr. Locke has entirely overthrown the doctrine of innate ideas of right and wrong; a doctrine which is the cornerstone of infidelity. Adam was created, as all men are born, without any inherent store of knowledge; the mind being like white paper, void of all impressions. The necessary instrument of instruction is language; and accordingly we begin with it in the teaching of children. Adam had not the knowledge prerequisite to contrive his own language; for knowledge enters the mind by the vehicle of language; which must therefore previously be taught; and none could teach him but God. The first use of language was to communicate the thoughts of God; which could not be done but in the words of God; and the Hebrew language is thought by many to bear evident marks of a divine origin, being so constructed as to convey knowledge which none but God could reveal. It was the decided opinion of the late learned and pious Dr. Johnson, (whose memory will be a lasting honor to the church of Connecticut,) that "the Hebrew was the first language, taught by God himself to mankind, and the mother of all languages and eloquence; which lends to all other languages and borrows from none."* This opinion is indeed controverted as all other things are: but we have abundance evidence that Revelation was the first principle of all knowledge, and necessary to the existence of true religion and that all false religion has arisen from perverting and corrupting the true.t

This argument strikes at the root of the religion of nature, the boasted offspring of human reason; a religion erroneously admitted by some as the foundation of revealed religion, but invariably set up in opposition to it by the enemies of revelation. These asserters of natural religion exhibit some moral precepts which sound admirably but every thing valuable is borrowed from the scrip tures, and whenever they speak not according to these there is no truth in them. "The world by wisdom knew not God;" and without the knowledge of God, it is impossible to frame a true religion.

Suppose that God, after he had created our first parents, had revealed to them neither the existence of himself, nor a future state; had taught them neither language, law, nor arts; and in this state of perfect ignorance had left them to roam among wolves and bears in the wilderness. Would they have set themselves at work to invent a religion? It is an absurdity. For if mankind, when favored with the light of revelation, have often fallen into idolatry; would any ever have emerged from a state of perfect ignorance into • Chandler's Life of Dr. Johnson, page 119.

Is is not highly probable that the original language and the original religion would be handed down together; and that the confusion of the one true language and the corruption of the one true religion would also accompany each other? and when we read that " Babylon" i. e. Babel, is "the mother of harlots" may we not plainly understand that she is the mother of false religions?

the light of true religion? If they lost the knowledge of the true God when they had it, would they of themselves have discovered the true God and the worship due to him, had they been left utterly destitute of religious knowledge, and even of language?" The example of the whole heathen world," says the Rev. William Jones, "yields us a demonstration that wisdom in religion is not natural to man; the very supposition is an absurdity, contrary to fact and reason."

This supposed natural religion is confuted by nature itself. For we discover the sun, not by a light within ourselves, but by the light which comes from the sun and we discover God, not by our knowledge, but by knowledge revealed from him as we could see none of the natural objects which surround us, without the light of the sun in the heavens; so we could discover nothing concerning the spiritual world, but by the light of Revelation from

above.

If there be a natural religion, it must be made by man; for we know of no religion from God but the revealed religion; and what is fallible cannot produce what is infallible. A religion framed by human reason must therefore be erroneous, and it must be imperfect, as not extending to the operations of the heart. It must also be utterly destitute of authority; for what man or number of men have a right to form a religion that will be obligatory on the rest of mankind? None but God could make a perfect law reaching the thoughts and intents of the heart, and binding the consciences of men by an universal obligation. And as "all power is of God," no human legislature can, of right, enact any laws but such as are already virtually contained in the divine law.

I have been the more full on this subject, because infinite mischief has arisen to christianity by adulterating it with a cold spec. ulative morality; by which means the observation of an opposition •between the pulpit and the desk, has been too often verified. We ought to understand and confess that we are indebted to God for all we know of religion; that this knowledge is communicated from him by way of messag, and that the priest is his messenger.

Jesus Christ, the great High Priest is eminently the messenger of the Lord of hosts." He is styled by the prophet "the messenger of the covenant ;" and by St. Paul," the only mediator between God and man, the apostie and high priest of our profession." But he hath other priests and apostles or messengers under him, offici ating in his name, and by his authority. Moses was sent to the children of Israel by this second person in the Trinity, stiling himself I AM, a name which Christ applies to himself. The priests of the Mosaic dispensation were of course messengers of the same divine person. John the Baptist was more explicitly his messenger, sent before his face to prepare his way before him. And the priests of the New Testament were his messengers in the fullest sense, as appears from his own words: "as my Father hath sent me, so send I you. He that receiveth you receiveth me, and hẹ that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me." Thus Christ is * Jones' Works, vol. 12. page 314.

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the only immediate messenger of God; and all other priests are either mediately or immediately the messengers of Christ.

The priest being " the messenger of the Lord of hosts, his lips should keep knowledge. Without the appointment of an order of men to keep knowledge, the way of salvation would be lost, and mankind would soon return to the blindness and darkness of nature. The message committed to the priesthood should therefore be preserved pure and entire; should be set forth as the word of God; should be published as the "law of truth," as "the light of the world," and as containing the only "covenant of life and peace."

Like the ark in which the tables of the Mosaic law were kept and preserved; the priesthood is the appointed witness and keeper of the word of God; but is without power to add or substract a tittle. It is also the authoritative interpreter of the word of God; but can give no other interpretation than is conceived from the word itself, by comparing things spiritual with spiritual.

We shall receive much light on this subject, by considering the particulars of the priestly office and character as delivered by the prophet in the two verses preceding the text.

1. "My covenant was with Levi of life and peace." As soon as the covenant of works, made with Adam, became frustrate through disobedience; the covenant of grace succeeded; in which it was promised that "the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head." Death and the displeasure of God was the penalty of the first covenant; "life and peace" was the promise of the second. This covenant of the promised seed was confirmed of God to Abraham in these words:" In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." To this covenant, 430 years after its confirmation to Abraham, the Mosaic "law was added, because of transgressions, till the promised seed should come," that is, till Christ should appear in the flesh. Under the Mosaic dispensation, this "covenant of life and peace was with Levi," the priesthood being limited to his family. This covenant was entered into by circumcision, and confirmed by the offering of sacrifices; all of which had respect unto the sacrifice of the death of Christ, which is the only source of "life and peace." And as none but the sons of Levi were authorized to offer up these sacrifices for the people, the covenant of life and peace was committed to their ministration. The covenant of grace is now with the priests of the New Testa, ment, who admit men into it by baptism, and administer to them the commemorative sacrifice of Christ's death; whereby they have, "peace" with God, and eternal "life.”

2. "The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips." The moral law, a perfect rule of duty, was given to Adam; and though violated is still in force, and not one jot or tittle of it shall fail till heaven and earth pass away. Through original transgression the whole human race are by nature born in a state of sin, being born under the law, and of course under the sentence of death. This law, being perfectly fulfilled by a person in our nature, was manifested thereby to be holy, and just, and good; and the person fulfilling it as our substitute, became "the