Excerpt from A Sermon, Delivered at the Ordination of the Rev. Benjamin F. Clarke, to the Pastoral Care of the Congregational Church and Society in Buckland, February 4, 1824The ~christian ministry viewed in its immediate, sep arate from its more remote and important echse quences, exerts an in¿uence on society at once the most commanding and salutary. By, -a full\and accu rate exhibition of divine truth, it discloses the only ap pro riate foundation of all sound morality, and furnish est ose sanctions by which-alone its practice can be successfully inforced. Lt' developes those relations and urges those duties which are essential to the Well be ing of communities - relations which otherwise could not be perceived - duties which are no where else en joined. The justness of this remark is abundantly il lustrated by a reference to facts. Within the circle of daily observation, may be discovered undeniable proof of the efficiency of a preached gospel in regu ating the manners, improving the morals, and promot ing the secular interests of individuals and communi ties. When all other attempts to reform the lives and meliorate the condition of mankind, have utterly failed, the ministry of reconciliation the speaking of the truth in love has had a most salutar in¿uenceon the moralities and decencies of society. Gut it has a high er object than merely the reformation of morals, and the promotion of the decencies and felicities of the present life. Its design partakes of that characteris tick grandeur, which invests all the plans of Him, Who is wonderful in council and excellent in working. It aims to perfect that gracious dispensation, for Whose accomplishment the Saviour suffered and died, and.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.