Practical Error, and the Test of True Holiness: a Sermon at the Ordination of Josiah Moore in Athol, December 8, 1830; Appendix.

Practical Error, And The Test Of True Holiness: A Sermon At The Ordination Of Josiah Moore In Athol, December 8, 1830; Appendix by Alonzo Hill. Alonzo Hill delivers a sermon delivered at the ordination of Rev. Josiah Moore, pastor of the First Church and Society in Athol, on December 8, 1830. The sermon centers on the necessity of practical holiness for Christian life and warns against substituting rites, creeds, or merely doctrinal purity for genuine virtue. Hill argues that true religion consists of purity, benevolence, devotion to God and neighbor, and a consistent life expressed in daily duties; he cites examples of historical errors—reliance on sacraments, overemphasis on doctrinal correctness, separation of religion from ordinary life, and indulgences—as substitutes for holy living. The discourse offers a test of holiness grounded in acts of justice, mercy, and humility, and declares that “pure religion” is evidenced by charity, integrity, and fidelity in all spheres of life. The work also includes a formal Charge and an Appendix detailing the Athol society’s settlement and the controversy surrounding ministerial exchanges, illustrating 19th-century religious liberty in New England.