The Object and Means of the Christian Ministry: a Sermon, Preached at the Ordination of the Rev. Cyrus A. Bartol, as Junior Pastor of the West Church in Boston, Wednesday, March 1, 1837

The Object And Means Of The Christian Ministry: A Sermon, Preached At The Ordination Of The Rev. Cyrus A. Bartol, As Junior Pastor Of The West Church In Boston, Wednesday, March 1, 1837 by Henry Ware, Jr. This work records Ware's 1837 sermon delivered in Cambridge on the occasion of the ordination of Cyrus Bartol. It centers on the Apostle Paul’s assertion that the ministry's object is human perfection and its means the preaching of Christ. Ware argues that true perfection is spiritual and immortal, attained through the Gospel's life-transforming power, and that worldly schemes fail to recognize the divine image and eternal destiny of every person. He elaborates how Christ must be presented in his offices—as Teacher, Lawgiver, Redeemer, and Judge—and how personal religion, cultivated in individuals, is the essential end of the ministry, more than any purely societal goals. The discourse also discusses the proper mode of preaching—relying on Christ’s authority rather than human reasoning—and the pastor’s personal influence beyond the pulpit. An appendix offers historical notes on the West Church and the ordination's subsequent developments, including Upham's charge and the ceremony's details.