be fure that God could beftow on man, or man receive from God. This bleffing we must miss, if human authority is to pin us down to what it pleafes to call fenfe of fcripture, and will fet up the judgment of fallible men as the test of Chriftianity. The Chriftian Laity are miferable indeed, if they be put under an obligation to find that to be truth which is taught by thefe Leaders. In truth, we should be unhappy men, with a revelation in our churches and our clofets, if the leaders had a right to make their own faith pals for the faith of the Apoftles; or, if we refufed it, might lance the weapons of this world at their people. What must we do then as true Chriftians? I think for myfelf, that we ought to form our judgment, in matters of faith, upon a ftrict, serious and impartial examination of the Holy Scriptures, without any regard to the judgment of others, or human authority whatever: that we ought to open the facred records, without minding any fyftems, and from the revealed word of God learn, that Christianity does not confift in a jingle of unintelligible founds, and new fundamentals, hewn out by craft, enthu→ fiafm, or bigotry, and maintained with an outrage of uncharitable zeal, which delivers Chriftians to the flames of an eternal hell: but that the heavenly religion of our Lord confifts in locking on the promised Meffiah,

as

as the most confummate bleffing God could bestow or man receive; and that Jefus is that Meffiah; in acting according to the rules of the Gofpel, and in ftudying to imitate God, who is the most perfect understanding nature, in all his moral perfections; in becoming the Children of God by being (according to our capacity) perfect as he is perfect, and holy as he is holy, and merciful as he is merciful; and in our whole moral behaviour as like to him as poffible.

In a word, to flee injuftice, oppreffion, intemperance, impurity, pride, unmercifulness, revenge:to practife juftice, piety, temperance, chastity, humility, beneficence, placability to turn from our iniquities to the practice of all virtue: and through the alone mediation of the only begotten Son of God, believe in and worship the eternal mind, the one fupreme Spirit, in hope of a glorious immortality, through the fanctification of the Holy Ghoft: -Thefe are the things the Lord came down to teach mankind. For the New Testament itself then we must declare, and look upon it as the only guide, or rule of faith. It is now the only deliverer of the declarations of our Lord: And the rule in our enquiry is, that every thing necessary to be believed by a Chriftian, is in thofe Books not left to be gathered by confequences, or implications; but the things necessary to

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obtain the favor of God promised to Chrifians are expressly declared. If this was not the cafe--if things abfolutely neceffary were not expressly proclaimed to be fo, the gospel revelation would be no rule at all (1).

13. But it is time to tell my reader the of Harriot ftory of the beautiful Harrict Noel, which I promised in my third memorandum.

Noel.

On

(1) To the plain and fatisfactory method of feeking for the faith in the facred books, there are many adverfaries and many objections raifed. There are (fays a great man) a very numerous body of Chriftians who know no other guides but the living guides of the prefent church; and acknowledge no other faith, for the faith once delivered to the faints, but that which is now delivered to them by their prefent rulers, as fuch.

To eftablish this point, the greater part of thefe lay down the infallibility of the prefent church, and of every man of the paft ages, through whofe mouth, or by whofe hands, the prefent traditions of faith, have de fcended to them. And this, indeed, would be a very good method, if that fingle proof of infallibility could be proved. But this is a point fo grofs, and fo utterly void of all proof, that a great body of the Chriftian world, have broke loofe from the power of this monfter, and declared for the New Teftament itself, as the only guide or rule of faith; the only deliverer of the faith to us of later ages.

When this comes however to be put in practice, too many of the fame perfons who fet the fcriptures up as the only guide, turn round on a fudden, and let us know that they mean by it, not thefe facred original writings themfelves, but the interpretations, or fenfe, put upon them by our fpiritual Juperiors, to which we are bound to fubmit, and put under an obligation to

find

On the glorious firft of Auguft, before the beafts were roused from their lodges, or the birds

find that to be the truth which is taught by these leaders.

But to this we reply with reafon, that though we ought to pay a regard of serious attention to thofe whose bufinefs it is to find out and difpenfe the truth, and fhew the respect of a due examination of what they affirm; yet we must not yield the fubmiffion due only to infallibility. It is our glory not to fubmit to the voice of any man. We must reserve that regard, for God, and for Chrift, in matters of faith once delivered to the Saints.

Others, again, of the reformed, tell us, that the furer way of knowing what was delivered near eighteen hundred years ago, is to take the original faith from the Councils and Fathers, grave and good men, who met and writ for the fettling of the faith.-And to this we anfwer, that thefe wife and good men cannot give fo good an account of the faith contained in the original books as the books themselves which contain it.

To give an example to the purpose. If we would know the doctrine of the Church of England at the reformation, it is not the writings of any particular divines many years after that period, that we must confult; or any allembly of them; but the authentic acts, and declarations, and fermons, made and recorded at the time; for many of the doctrines thought effential at the reformation, have been fince changed by gradual alterations;-by explainers ufing their own ftile and manner of expreffion, and introducing their own scheme of philofophy, and judgment in commenting, into the fcheme of doctrine to be explained. This produces great variation from what was once fettled. What was once efteemed fundamental is thereby altered.Let this be applied to the first Chriftian writers, after the Apostles were departed, and as their language and

birds had foared upwards, to pour forth their morning harmony; while the mountains and the groves were overshadowed by a dun obfcurity, and the dawn ftill dappled the drowly Eaft with fpots of grey; in short, before the fun was up, or, with his aufpicious presence, began to animate inferior nature, I left my chamber, and with my gun and dog, went out to wander over a pleasant country. The different afpects and the various points of view were charming, as the light in fleecy rings increased; and when the whole flood of day defcended, the im bellished early fcene was a fine entertainment. Delighted with the beauties of this morning, I climbed up the mountains, and travelled through many a valley. The game was plenty, and for full five hours, I journeyed onward, without knowing where I was going, or thinking of a return to college.

About nine o'clock however I began to grow very hungry, and was looking round to fee if I could difcover any proper habi

philofophy were various, and they differed from one another, great variations muft creep into the doctrines delivered by them. It follows then, that nothing but what is recorded in the first original books themfelves can be firm and ftable to us in points of faith. In the original books only we can find the faith, without that confufion and darkness, which human explications and additions have brought in by way of light.