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done on our part to promote or encourage fuch wild deviation from the paths of true religion, the ways of unity, peace and love, which our bleffed Redeemer marked out for all his faithful followers.-It is true we are feparated, and must continue to be feparate from the establishment of this country; not as influenced by a spirit of oppofition to whatever is eftablished either in church or ftate (which feems to be a prominent feature in the doctrine of these new apostles) but because we act on principles, which require and juftify fuch feparation; and which, if well understood, and duly adhered to, would enfure ftability to every found establishment, and prevent thofe unhappy divifions, which ferve only to multiply error, and drive men farther and farther from the truth as it is in Christ.

Such as I have now defcribed it, is evidently the fituation of the land in which we live, with respect to the religious character of a great majority of its inhabitants, very much resembling the state of things in the Jewish church, at the time of our Saviour's first coming in the flesh, when the true religion was either totally fet afide by the infidelity of the Sadducees, or fadly corrupted by the vile hypocrify of felf-conceited Pharifees. The former led away, like our modern Illuminati, with a vain affectation of fuperior discernment, could not bear the thoughts of fubmitting their enlightened understandings to the familiar tenets of a vulgar faith. They must have a creed of a different form, perfectly fuited to

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what they are pleased to call Reason, and the Fitness of things. This has been the idol of the unbelieving race, in all ages and places of the world. And though the vanity of their fcheme has been often exposed in the cleareft manner, and to the full fatisfaction of every serious, fober-thinking perfon; yet it would feem to require the fame divine eloquence now as it did formerly, to "put the Sadducees to "filence."

But though it were poffible, (and with God it cannot be impoffible) to check the licentious railings of thefe" bold difputers, who even deny the Lord "that bought them;" denying, either that they are bought, or that he who bought them is the Lord -the eternal, Almighty Jehovah; the true faith has yet another fort of enemies to combat with, in the imitators of those pharifaical pretenders to religion, of whom St. Paul gives a most just and striking description, in these words-" For I bear them "record, that they have a zeal of God, but not ac"cording to knowledge. For they, being ignorant "of God's righteoufnefs, and going about to efta❝blish their own righteoufnefs, have not fubmitted "themselves unto the righteoufnefs of God."* Submiffion to the righteous will and appointment of God was no part of the religion adopted by that zealous ignorance, the effects of which are here fo minutely defcribed; and fimilar effects are ftill flowing from the fame unhappy cause. The pride of infidelity,

Rom. 1. 2. 3.

fidelity, we may well fuppofe, is not a little cherished and supported by the grofs abfurdities, which prevail among many of those who profefs to believe the great truths of the gofpel; and who, in flying from the ruinous paths of the impious fceptic, are often fadly bewildered in ways of their own devising, and plunge themselves into all the follies of the wild enthufiaft. There feems to be a strange propenfity

in many of our countrymen to be misguided by fuch as thus go about to deceive; and who, to carry on their deceit the more effectually, lay it down as an undoubted maxim, very flattering to the vanity of the human heart, that any man who can read, may, with the fcriptures in his hands, be able to know and do every thing neceffary to falvation. But this, though partly true, is not the whole truth; and well meaning people ought to be put on their guard against such an artful misrepresentation. Had the fcriptures contained only a few moral precepts, tending to preserve the peace of society, and to regulate man's conduct towards his neighbour, without prefcribing any facred rites and inftitutions, as a teftimony of his fubmiffion to the will of his God, the maxim I have mentioned might have been affumed with more propriety. But is this really the case? Has a man, in order to be made a Christian, nothing more to do, than to go to a bookseller's shop, and purchase a bible, that he may perufe it at his leifure, and interpret it as he thinks fit? With all the liberality which this age poffeffes, no one has yet ventured

ventured to affert fo much in plain terms, although the loose opinions, which fo generally prevail, clearly fhew, that too many are guided by no other principle.

In tracing these and many other growing evils to their proper fource, we may eafily find their original in that lamentable ignorance of the true nature and constitution of the Chriftian church; and of confequence, that total want of regard for the order and fucceffion of its ministers, which have, of late years, fo wofully prevailed among us; encouraged and countenanced by a numerous fet both of preachers and authors, whose interest it is to flatter men in this fashionable error, and take advantage of it. Hence it is, that the Chriftian world has been bewildered and led aftray by fo many unfaithful histories of the church, and fuch ill digefted lectures on that fubject, as could only come from perfons, who found it neceffary to touch these things very tenderly, because the ground, on which they stood in their official character, was not fo firm as to bear them up in any other language than that of the false prophets of old, "who spoke smooth things, and prophefied "deceits, because the people loved to have it fo." A writer of another ftamp, the late pious and learned Bishop of Norwich, in laying before his clergy a brief account of the great fundamental doctrines, which they were to inculcate, as effential to Chriftianity, and without which, it cannot be confidered as a religion true in itself, or beneficial to us, takes

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care to include in the number of these important doctrines, the Conftitution and Ufe of the Church; "a "fubject on which," he fays, men's principles for fome years paft "have been very unfettled, and "their knowledge precarious, and superficial.”*— We need not wonder that this fhould be the case, when men are at fo little pains to acquire that found substantial knowledge, which is abfolutely necessary to fettle their principles, and give them juft and fuitable ideas, on a fubject of fuch ferious and ftriking importance, as was afcribed by the bleffed author of our religion, to the way and manner, the purpose and defign of his building or raifing that fociety, which he was pleased to call his church, and which he no fooner entered on his public miniftry, than he began to establish.t

Now that this church of Chrift, thus established by himself in person, and afterwards enlarged by his apostles, on the plan which he had laid down for their direction, ought to be confidered as a regular, well formed fociety, is evident from the names and allufions, by which it is described in the facred writings. It is there reprefented as a body, a household or family, a city, a kingdom; and must certainly bear fome kind of relation to what thefe terms are generally known to imply. Indeed no one, who reflects for a moment on the nature of these figurative expreffions, can be ignorant wherein it is, that this relation, or connection takes place. The church is a body

* See Bishop Horne's charge, p. 21. † See St. Matthew, xvi. 18. 19.

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