much less than now; and yet was not half so much acquainted with my ignorance. I had great delight in the daily new discoveries which I made, but I knew little either how imperfectly I understood those very points, whose discovery so much delighted me, nor how much might be said against them, nor to how many things I was yet a stranger. But now I find far greater darkness upon all things; and perceive how very little it is that we know in comparison of that which we know not; and I have far meaner thoughts of my own understanding; though I must needs know that it is better furnished than it was then. Accordingly, I had once a higher opinion of learned persons and books than I have now; and what I wanted myself, I thought every reverend divine had attained, and was familiarly acquainted with; and what books I understood not by reason of the strangeness of the terms or matter, the more admired, and thought that others understood their worth. But experience has constrained me against my will to know, that learned men are imperfect, and know but little as well as I; especially those that think themselves the wisest. And the more I am acquainted with them, the more I perceive that we are all yet in the dark; and the more I am acquainted with holy men,that are all forheaven, and pretend not to subtilties, the more I value and honor them. And when I have studied hard to understand some abstruse book, I have but attained the knowledge of human imperfection, and to see that the author is but a man as well as I. At first I took more upon my author's credit,

than now I can do; and when an author was highly commended to me by others, or pleased me in some part, I was ready to entertain the whole; whereas now I take and leave in the same author, and dissent from him whom I like best, as well as from others. At first I much inclined to go with the highest in controversy, on one side or other; but now I can so easily see what to say against both extremes, that I am far more disposed to reconciling principles. And whereas I once thought conciliators were but ignorant men, that were willing to please all, and would pretend to reconcile the world by principles which they themselves understood not, I have since perceived that even if the loveliness of peace had no hand in the business, yet greater light and judgment usually is with the reconciler, than with either of the contending parties; though I know that moderation may be a pretext of error.

I now see more good, and more evil, in all men than I once did. I see that good men are not so good as I formerly thought they were, but have more imperfections, and that nearer approach and fuller trial make the best appear more weak and faulty, than their admirers at a distance think. And I find that few are so bad, as either their malicious enemies,or censorious separating professors, imagine. In some I find that human nature is corrupted into a greater likeness to devils, than I thought once any on earth had been. But even in the wicked, there is usually more for grace to make advantage of, and more to testify for God, than once I believed there had been.

I less admire gifts of utterance, and bare profession of religion, than I once did; and have much more charity for many, who by the want of gifts make an obscurer profession than they. I once thought that almost all who could pray movingly and fluently, and talk well of religion, had been saiats. But experience has opened to me, that odious crimes may consist with high profession; and I have met with many obscure persons, not noted for any extraordinary profession, or forwardness in religion, but only living a quiet, blameless life, whom I have after found to have long lived, as far as I could discern, a truly sanctified life; only their prayers and duties were by accident kept secret from other men's observation. Yet he that upon this pretence would confound godly and ungodly, may as well go about to lay heaven and hell together. I am not so narrow in my special love as heretofore; and being less censorious, and taking more than I did for saints, it must needs follow that I love more as saints than I did formerly. I think it not lawful to put that man off with bare church communion, and such common love which I must allow the wicked, who professeth himself a true Christian by such a profession as I cannot disprove. I am not so narrow in my principles of church communion as once I was. I more plainly perceive the difference between the church visible, and mystical; between sincerity and profession; and that a credible profession is a proof sufficient of a man's title to church admission. I am not for narrowing the church more than Christ

himself allows us; nor for robbing him of any of his flock. I am more sensible how much it is the will of Christ that every man be the chooser or the refuser of his own felicity, and that it lieth most on his own hands whether he will have communion with the church or not; and that, if he be a hypocrite, it is himself that will bear the loss. Yet am I more apprehensive than ever of the great need of ecclesiastical discipline, and what a sin it is to make no distinction but by bare names and sacraments; and, what a great dishonor it is to Christ, when the church shall be as vicious as the assemblies of pagans, and shall only differ from them in ceremony and name. I am more sensible of the evil of schism, and of a separating humor; for the effects have shewn us more of the mischiefs. I am far more sensible how prone many young professors are to spiritual pride, self-conceit, and unruliness; and so proving the grief of their teachers, and firebrands in the church: and how much of a minister's work lieth in preventing this, and humbling and confirming such young unexperienced professors, and keeping them in order in their religious progress. Yet am I more sensible of the sin of using men cruelly in matters of religion. Such as are guilty of this know not their own infirmity, nor the nature of pastoral government, which ought to be paternal, and by love.

My soul is much more afflicted with the thoughts of this miserable world, and more drawn out in a desire for its conversion, than heretofore. I was wont to

took little farther than England in my prayers; but now I better understand the case of mankind, and the method of the Lord's Prayer. No part of my prayers is so deeply serious, as that for the conversion of the infidel and ungodly world. Yet am I not so much inclined to pass a peremptory sentence of damnation upon all that never heard of Christ; having more reason than I knew of before, to think that God's dealing with such is much unknown to us; and that the ungodly here among us Christians are in far worse case than they. My censures of the Papists much differ from what they were at first. I then thought that their errors in doctrine were their most dangerous mistakes. But I am now assured that their misexpressions and misunderstand ing us, with our mistaking of them, and inconveniently stating our own opinions, hath made the difference in controversial points to seem much greater than they are; and that in some it is next to none at all. But the great and irreconcilcable differences lie in their church tyranny and usurpations, in their corruption and desecration of God's worship, together with their befriending ignorance and vice. At first I thought it had been proved that a Papist cannot go beyond a reprobate; but now I doubt not but that God has many sanctified ones among them, who have received Christianity so practically, that their contradictory errors prevail not against them to hinder their salvation; but that their errors are like a conquerable draught of poison which nature doth overcome. I can never believe that a man may not be sav

ed by that religion which brings him to a heavenly mind and life; nor that God will ever cast a soul into hell that truly loves him. Nor, as once,does it condemn any doctrine with me to hear it called Popish; for I have learned to dislike men for bad doctrine rather than the doctrine for the men; and know that even Satan can use the name of Antichrist against truth.

I am more deeply afflicted for the dissensions of Christians than when I was a younger Christian. Yet am I farther than ever I was from expecting great matters of unity, splendor, or prosperity, to the Church on earth; or that saints should dream of a kingdom of this world, or flatter themselves with the hopes of a golden age; till there be a new heaven and a new earth.' And on the contrary, I am more apprehensive that suffering mustbe the Church's most ordinary lots and Christians indeed must be self-denying cross bearers, even where there are none but formal nominal Christians to be the cross-makers. And though ordinarily God would have vicissitudes of summer and winter, that the Church may grow extensively in the summer of prosperity and radically in the winter of adversity; yet usually its night is longer than its day; and the day itself has its tempests. For,

1. The Church will be still imperfect, and its diseases need this bitter remedy. 2. Rich men will be rulers of this world, and they will be generally far from true godliness, that they may reach heaven by human im possibilities, as a camel goes through a needle's eye. 3. The ungodly will ever hate the image of God; and brotherhood will not

I. Every church or particular congregation of visible saints in Gospel order, being furnished with a presbytery, at least with a teaching elder, and walking to gether in truth and peace, hath received from the Lord Jesus, full power and authority ecclesiastical within itself, regularly to administer all the ordinances of Christ; and is not under any other ecclesiastical jurisdiction whatsoever.

For to such a church Christ hath given the keys of the kingdom of heaven, that what they bind or loose on earth, shall be bound or loosed in heaven, Mat. xvi, 19, and xviii, 17, 18. Elders are ordained in every church. Acts xiv, 23; Titus i, 5; and are therein authorized officially to administer in the word, prayer, sacraments, and censures, Mat. xxviii, 19, 20; Acts vi, 4; 1 Cor. iv, 1, 5; iv, 12; Acts xx, 29; 1 Tim. v, 17; and iii, 5. The reproving of the church of Corinth, and of the Asian churches severally, imports they had power, each of them within themselves, to reform the abuses that were amongst them. I Cor. v; Rev. ii, 14, 20.

Hence it follows, consociation of churches is not to hinder the exercise of this power, but by counsel from the word of God, to direct and strengthen the same on all occasions.

II. The churches of Christ do stand in a sisterly relation to each other. Cant. viii, 8. Being united in the same faith and order, Eph. iv, 5; Col. ii, 5. To walk by the same rule, Phil. iii, 16. In the exercise of the same ordinances for the same end, Eph. iv, 11, 12, 13; 1 Cor. xvi, 1. Under one and the same political Head, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Eph. i, 22, 23; and iv, 5; Rev. ii,l; which union infers a communion suitable thereunto.

of

III. The communion churches is the faithful improvement of the gifts of Christ be stowed upon them, for his service and glory, and their mutual good and edification, according to capacity and opportunity, I Pet. iv, 10, 11; 1 Cor. xii, 4, 7; & x, 24; 1 Cor. iii, 21, 22; Cant viii, 9; Rom. i, 15; Gal. vi, 10.

IV. Acts of communion of churches are such as these.

1. Hearty care and prayer one for another. 2 Cor. xi, 28; Cant viii, 8; Rom. i, 9; Col. i, 9; Eph. vi, 18.

2. To afford relief by come munication of their gifts in tem. poral or spiritual necessities, Rom. xv, 26, 27; Acts xi, 22, 29; 2 Cor. viii, 1, 4, 14.

3. To maintain unity and peace, by giving account one to another of their public actions, when it is orderly desired. Acts xi, 2, 3, 4,-i, 8; Josh. xxii, 13, 21, 30; 1 Cor. x, 32; and to strengthen one another in their regular administrations, as in special by a concurrent testimony against persons justly censured.

Acts xv, 41; & xvi, 4, 5; 2 Tim. iv, 15; 3 Thes. iii, 14.

4. To seek and accept help from, and give help unto each

other.

First. In case of divisions and contentions, where the peace of any church is disturbed. Acts XV, 2.

Secondly. In matters of more than ordinary importançe, [Prov. xxiv, 6; & xv, 22] as ordination, translation, and deposition of elders, and such like, 2 Tim. v, 22.

Thirdly. In doubtful and difficult questions and controversies,