self at the head of a party, in direct opposition to the authority of Mar Abraham, who, it is to be regretted, had afforded too many opportunities for animadversion.

These two Bishops, accordingly, began to fulminate excommunications on each other. And, as Simeon probably piqued himself on his unbroken faith and attachment to the Chaldean Church, so Abraham betook himself to the secular arm of the Portuguese, in order to ruin his rival, if possible, by the very same process that Mar Joseph had formerly had recourse to against him. In short, he represented to the Church of Goa, that Mar Simeon was an enemy to the Catholic faith, and nothing more than an intruder into the Church of Malabar. It will be readily supposed that the versatile character of Mar Abraham would be more grateful to the Portuguese, than the untried virtues of the younger Simeon. Plans were accord ingly suggested for the apprehension of Simeon, which succeeded.

The conduct of Simeon during his altercation with Mar Abraham had se cured him a great number of friends, insomuch that it appeared wholly impossible to take him by force. Stra tagem was therefore resorted to: and, for this purpose, some Franciscan Friars were suborned to advise him, that it was impossible he could ever succeed in his Bishopric, unless he could have his title ratified at Rome. The inexperience of the young man, added to the ardour which he had con ceived for the ruin of his adversary, did not suffer him for a moment to suppose that he was incurring the least danger and accordingly, appointing one Jacob his Vicar-General during his absence, he proceeded to Goa, and thence to Portugal; where, it is probable, a dungeon of the Inquisition awaited him, from which he was never permitted to return.

In 1590 Don Matthias, Archbishop of Goa, called another Provincial Council, at which, by virtue of the Pope's Brief, Mar Abraham was sum moned to attend. But the old Bishop, conscious at length of the folly and criminality of his former prevarica

tions, and probably feeling more than ordinary remorse of conscience at the fates of Mar Joseph and Simeon, whose ruin he had procured, refused compliance, and openly and unreservedly persisted in the faith and rites of the Chaldean Church.

This indeed was but small reparation for a life spent in variation of sentiment or conduct, as the exigencies of the times, or the caprices of his enemies, might require; and presents but a lamentable proof of the want of vital religion in the Church of Malabar under its first persecutions by the See of Rome.

This, however, forms no justification of the tyranny and persecution exercised by the Catholics; who, it cannot be doubted, would have made far greater conquests by preaching Christ crucified. By giving glory to God, and manifesting peace and goodwill towards men, they might indeed have subjected many to the yoke of Christ, whom experience at length taught them that they could, neither by force nor stratagem, subdue to the yoke of the Pontificate.

In 1595 Clement VIII. hearing of the proceedings of Mar Abraham, despatched a Brief, commanding Don Alexio de Menezes, who was then Archbishop of Goa, to make inquisition into the faith of the Syrian Bishop; to secure him in Goa; and, in case of finding him guilty, to appoint a Vicar Apostolic of the Roman Catholic Communion over his Bishopric: all which was punctually observed by Menezes; for, finding Mar Abraham guilty of every article in his accusation, and understanding that he had written to Babylon for a successor, Menezes sent express orders to all the ports, commanding that every Chaldean, Persian, or Armenian Ecclesiastic should be stopped, unless a passport from himself were produced by him. In consequence of these orders one is said to have been detained at Ormus, who was styled Bishop of Malabar, and was making his way thither in disguise. Several others are said to have been apprehended in endeavouring to get into Malabar, disguised as mariners: which had the effect of inflaming the

minds of the Christians more than ever against the Roman Catholics.

The Archbishop, much encouraged by this success, determined to exert himself to the utmost in the reduction of the Churches of Malabar; and accordingly despatched letters to Jacob, the Vicar-General of Mar Simeon, informing him that Mar Simeon had been convicted at Rome of not being in Holy Orders; and, making large promises of future favour, requested him forthwith to submit to the Roman Communion. To all this Jacob peremptorily refused assent: and moreover did every thing in his power to influence the minds of the people against the Roman Catholics. But, as Jacob died soon after, the Archbishop was eased of this formidable adversary. Letters were also despatched to Mar Abraham and his Archdeacon, commanding them immediately to purge their Church of its errors, and to submit to the authority of the Pope; which was refused.

(To be continued.)

Extracts from a Sermon on the Chas racter of a Faithful and Evange lical Ministry; a Sermon, preached at the opening of the Convention of the Diocess of Maryland, on the 20th of May, 1818. By the Rev. DANIEL STEPHENS, Rector of Havrede-Grace and St. George's Parishes, Harford County.

Rev. ii. 10. "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

***

"We are now assembled, my Reverend and Christian Brethren, under auspicious circumstances, to consult about the temporal concerns of our Church. For the first time the Convention is about to be organized in this new and spacious diocesan Church, combining grandeur with simplicity, and evincing the great zeal and liberality of the Episcopalians of this city. And, may the same spirit be extended throughout the Diocess, in rebuilding our mouldering Churches, and in erecting new ones, whenever they may be necessary.

"While, therefore, we may be convened in this sacred temple, solemnly consecrated to the worship of Almighty God, let no, unhallowed designs, angry passions, or party spirit distract our councils; but in all our deliberations, let us remember, that God sees us, and takes account of our words, as well as of our actions!

"But such is the peaceful and tranquil state of our Church at present, that we may anticipate a most harmonious and profitable Convention; and contribute to the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom on earth, the comfort and edification of our own souls, and the strengthening and encouraging one another to be faithful unto death, that we may receive a crown of life.'

"Be thou faithful unto death'The minister of Christ, then, must be faithful in the discharge of all his pastoral duties. And here, my Rever end Brethren, I must acknowledge my inability to instruct you, many of whom are my superiors in wisdom, in age, and experience; I can only act the part of a remembrancer, by reminding you of what you may have forgotten, and encouraging you to the practice of what you already know. For, we ministers need to be preached unto sometimes as well as the people. By long practice in our office, we may become careless, lukewarm, or worldly minded, and need to be roused from our lethargy; for, remember, St. John's charge in his Revelation was to the ministers, or representatives of the seven Churches in Asia! The minister of Christ, then, must be faith ful in the discharge of all bis pastoral duties; and especially in doctrine. He is to be pure and evangelical in his doctrine. Like Philip in Samaria, he is to preach Christ to his people. Like St. Paul, he is to preach Christ crucified.' Like St. John, he is to preach the atonement of Christ- the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin.? And like that same Apostle, he must preach love to God, and love to mankind, particularly as manifested in keeping the commandments; for 'love is the fulfilling of the whole law.

6

"Christ crucified is the sum and substance of the whole Gospel. We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness; but to them that are call ed, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.' And, says St. John, 'He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for our's only, but for the sins of the whole world.' Before the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh, there was an opinion, almost universally prevalent, that sin could not be atoned for otherwise than by animal sacrifices; and this, at length, was thought, by many, to be insufficient, so that they sacrificed their sons and their daughters on their altars, to appease their offended deities! Now, the death of Christ, while it accorded with the prevailing opinion of the necessity of sacrifice, put an entire end to that sanguinary species of devotion; for by the sacrifice of himself offered once for all, he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.' Some of the wisest and best of the heathens had expressly declared, there was wanting some universal method of saving men's souls, which no sect of philosophy had ever yet found out.' Now, our Redeemer was this very all-atoning victim, offered on the cross for the sins of the whole world; the great universal sacrifice, to which all the prophets uniformly directed their predictions, and the substance of which the Jewish sacrifices were only types and shadows. He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed.' And,' If the blood of bulls and of goats sanctified to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit, of fered up himself, without spot, unto

God, purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God??

"The minister of Christ, then, must earnestly inculcate this doctrine of the atonement, and the conditions upon which its saving benefits are suspended, viz. repentance of all sin, faith in the only Saviour, and obedience to all his commands, particularly in appropriating to ourselves the benefits of his passion. For, as the blood of the paschal lamb would have been of no benefit to the Israelites, unless sprinkled on the door-posts and lintels of their houses, so the blood of Christ will be of no avail to sinners, unless applied to their conscience," by faith, in a heavenly manner.'

* *

"And here it is evident, the faith ful minister must insist on baptism and confirmation. On the subject of baptism, indeed, he may not find so much difficulty, as parents are mostly inclined to dedicate their children to God in this initiatory ordinance, but he will find great reason to be faithful in urging them to fulfil their vows of bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,' and preparing them for confirmation, without which their baptism is incomplete. And here, indeed, our assistance and catechetical instructions are necessary to prepare them, not only for confir mation, but for the holy communion, for which much zeal, labour, and perseverance will be required on our part.

"We are also to maintain the distinctive principle of our Church, which we believe to be consistent with the Scriptures, and no where contradictory to them. And for this purpose we are to inculcate the use of the Book of Common Prayer, as containing a complete formula of our doctrines and mode of worship? An Episcopalian minister, wherever he goes, ought to have the Bible in one hand, and the Prayer Book in the other. The liturgy, articles, and other offices were drawn up from the Scriptures, and, from the identity of principles, are capable of being resolved into them again. They contain, under a great variety of expres

sions, the doctrine of the Trinity, the depravity of human nature, and the necessity and efficacy of the atonement of Jesus Christ. They comprise a uniform standard of doctrine and worship, and form an impregnable bulwark of defence against heterodox and unchristian principles. By means of the Prayer Book, correct sentiments have been preserved in many places destitute of a standing ministry. Like the ark of the covenant, it has preserved the law in the worst of times. Like the vestal virgins, it has guarded the sacred fire, ready to be kindled into a pure flame of devotion at a proper opportunity. "The celebrated Dr. Clark, though not a member of the Church, speaking of the service, says, It is a work almost universally esteemed by the pious and devout of every denomination, and the greatest effort of the Reformation, next to the translation of the Scriptures into the English language. A work which all whe are acquainted with deem superior to any thing of the kind produced either by ancient or modern times. And the very learned Grotius, though not a member of this Church, says, the English liturgy comes so near the primitive pattern, that none of the reformed Churches can be compared with it.'

"We are not, therefore, to consider the service as a mere appendage to preaching. This is a most unfortunate and inconsiderate error. It is our highest duty and interest to worship God, and pour out our hearts be fore him in prayer and praise, that we may receive his promised benedictions. The service, it has been truly said, contains more truth than any sermon ever written. A sermon is only the judgment of one individual, while the service is the matured judgment of many pious martyrs and luminaries of the Christian Church.

"But to render the service profit able, as well as delightful, the responses should be made by all the people in a loud and full voice. This was the intention of the compilers of the liturgy, as is evident from the rubrics, directing both minister and peo

ple in the several parts which they are to repeat. It was an observation of a primitive Bishop, that when his congregation said AMEN, it was like a clap of thunder; as the voice of a great multitude; as the sounding of many waters. Now, if all the congregation would unite in the responses, which is their bounden duty and interest, the service would soon become popular, animating, and highly devotional; and to excite them to this de lightful and profitable duty, will require much of the zeal and labour of a faithful Episcopalian minister.

"But while he is faithful in doctrine, and also in the distinctive characteristics of his Church, he is not rashly to attack other denominations of professing Christians; but prudently to inculcate his own principles, and temperately to defend them when attacked. And this can be no breach of Christian charity. Every Church zealously propagates and defends its own peculiar and distinctive principles. He is, therefore, if need be, to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints,' and for his form of sound words."

"But, above all, my Reverend Brethren, among ourselves, we are to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. In the present imperfect state of human nature, indeed, where the wisest and best see and know but in part, some shades of difference in opinion will exist; but as these are almost always about smaller matters, or mere modes of expression, if they were prudently managed, they would never divide our hearts, nor disturb the unity of the Church. If, therefore, on those doctrines, or forms of worship, concerning which we may have small va rieties of opinion, we would express ourselves in Scripture language, and in general terms, and not insist on nice party distinctions in our sermons before the people, we should much more effectually build up the Church in her most holy faith, unite each others hearts, and strengthen each. others hands-for, like the bundle of rods in the fable, our strength is great only when united. Unless we are

"But the minister of Christ, to be truly faithful, must not only be orthodox, zealous, and affectionate; but he must have true piety and holiness of heart. It was a saying of the Jewish Rabbies, that the spirit of prophecy resides not with any man whose affections are not raised above the world, and placed on heaven.' In like manner, unless we are holy and heavenly minded ourselves, we can not expect to be instrumental in rendering others holy. If we are not inwardly pious, and divinely called to our office, we are hypocritical and unfaithful in every step of our ministry. In the Levitical ritual, the sacrifice for the sin of a priest was no less than that offered for the whole congregation, which, at that time, might be upwards of two millions of souls. And, by parity of reason, the sin of a hypocritical minister, under the Gospel, may be equal to the sin and punishment of a whole wicked congregation! And hence, it was the opinion of a primitive father, that few ministers would be saved!' Q my God! Who is sufficient for these things? What faithfulness in word and in doctrine is here necessary? What learning, wisdom, reading, and profound meditation? What zeal, piety, holiness, purity, and agonizing prayer? But our sufficiency is not of ourselves. The Gospel, which we preach, is itself the power of God unto salvation; and it is through the blood of the Lamb that we shall gain the victory. Then, let us all be en+ couraged to be faithful unto death,' in the discharge of all our ministerial duties, and we shall receive ‘a crown of life.'

"But our crown depends upon our faithfulness and perseverance 6 unto death. Having put our hand to the Gospel plough, we are not to turn back, nor apostatize; for, If any

man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. We must be instant in season, and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine,' whether the people will hear, or whether they will forbear. Our glorious opportunities are hastening to a close. In a few years, or even days more, and we shall be no longer stewards. Death on his pale horse approaches, with sure and steady steps, and while, with his cold hand, he stops the ears of our people from hearing, he will stop our tongues from preaching! We too must die, as well as our people! We, who have so often witnessed the last moments of others; we, who have consigned so many to the tomb, that we seem almost to have lost our sensibility and fear of death; we too must die, and appear among our peo pleat the judgment-seat of Christ!" May we then be able to say, with the Apostle, I am free from the blood of all men: I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, and henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which God the righteous Judge will give to me in that day, and not to me only, but to all them that love and wait for his appearing! Then, be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.' Behold the reward of all our labours' a crown of life!'"

Extracts from the Journals of the

Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of Ohio; begun and held at Worthington, June 3, A. D. 1818, and continued by adjournments to the 5th of said Month.

*

"THE resolutions upon the subject of electing a Bishop, were taken up and read; and, upon motion, adopted, as follows:

"Resolved, That it is expedient to elect a Bishop for the Diocess of Ohio, and to take measures that the person elected may be duly consecrated and