NOTE ON THE FIRST FIVE SERMONS. "LOVE,"1 says an old divine, "is the master bee, which carries all the swarm with it;" and it is certain that the unhappy differences of Christians arise from their other graces having lost an essential affinity with this heavenly leader. As it was the first affection corrupted, so it is the first renewed, and is designed to be the main-spring of our social happiness and public usefulness; a beam of the sun of righteousness to cheer, enlighten, and warm us in our cold and dreary pilgrimage to those regions, whose eternal day is produced by its full effulgence. Mr. Walker being deeply imbued with the spirit of this grace, and therefore duly estimating its value, inculcated it on his parishioners in five admirable sermons, which were found among the papers of the late Rev. Rowland Hill, by whom they were frequently read to his society of communicants, at Surry chapel, and whose intention it was to print them for their use and edification. He had written a preface to them containing a very brief memoir of their author, chiefly taken from the short account of his life and ministry, prefixed to his fifty-two sermons published in 1763, and commencing with the following address: 1 Leigh's Body of Divinity, London, 1672, p. 763. "To the communicants and congregation assembling in Surry chapel. MY DEAR BRETHREN AND FRIENDS, Thankful for every opportunity to express my high respect and regard, to an affectionate congregation I have so long served in the gospel, I am happy to present before you these few plain sermons, well worthy of your most attentive perusal; being persuaded that if by the power of divine grace, you should be actuated by the spirit and temper of them, you will possess the richest blessing that the souls of men can possibly enjoy. But I must first inform you by what means these sermons were put into my hands. At a very early period of my life, soon after it pleased divine mercy to make the gospel of Christ the power of God to the salvation of my soul, by the pious conversation of an elder brother,2 I heard much of Mr. Walker of Truro, as being one of the brightest ornaments of the Christian ministry that was then in the established church. In addition to this, I was favoured with a more intimate knowledge concerning him, from a very intelligent lady who was well acquainted with him, and who was directed by providence to remove after [Mr. Walker's death] to Wem, in Shropshire, near the place of my nativity,3 and resi 2 The late Sir Richard Hill, Bart. 3 Hawkstone Park, Shropshire, the seat of Sir Rowland Hill, Bart. dence in my younger days. From her I was informed of the many excellencies of this able minister of the word of life. Perhaps no minister shone brighter among the people he was called to serve, and consequently none had a warmer place in their affections and esteem. All his religious publications were kindly put into my hands. These were not numerous, but strong, affectionate, and plain. His Lectures on the Church Catechism, prove that he was no friend to the doctrine of baptismal regeneration, as upheld by some to supersede the need of personal regeneration, which must be accomplished upon the hearts of all that are by grace made meet for glory. He was much better taught than to suppose the mere outward administration of an ordinance, could be any thing further than a sign of what should be, and not the thing itself which must be. Satisfied that such a mere popish explanation of that ordinance, must be very injurious to the souls of men, so as to make them live in stupid ignorance of the necessity of being renewed in the spirit of their minds, he gives his readers to understand that however we may be outwardly admitted to the privileges of Christianity, by the administration of the outward and visible sign, yet all would be of no avail without the inward and spiritual grace. I well remember what strength and energy were to be found in a small volume of sermons on that subject, written by the same author, [and] entitled the Christian, directing us to seek after that living change, whereby we are alone enabled to live to God. Not only in this, but in all his other publications, this important truth seemed to bear most powerfully U |