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been acknowledged, even by those who are least disposed to commend it, to "have been from the beginning favourable to peace and good order, and submission to the Sovereign, and never been the occasion of any civil commotion in any country in which it has been once established;" a principled attachment to such a Church, will, it is presumed, by every well-wisher to the community, be regarded as a more fit subject for respect and commendation, than for obloquy and reproach.

But it is said, and the present liberal mode of thinking (as it is falsely called) sanctions the idea, that to insist on the Apostolic form as the only Divine institution of Church government, is to pronounce an uncharitable sentence on all those who do not conform to it; on the ground that those Christians who are not in the Church, must necessarily be out of it; and as such, unpossessed of a covenanted title to the promises made to the Church by its Divine Head. Now, admitting the consequence in this case, it is certainly a consequence for which the Clergy of the Church of England are not answerable. To be consistent ministers of that Church, they must argue consistently from the premises which that Church has laid down. Admitting, then, that the conclusion drawn from these premises may sound harsh to the ears of those who separate from her communion, it ought still not to offend them; because it is that conclusion which they must expect should be drawn by every honest minister * Smith's "Wealth of Nations," b. viii. c. 1.

of the Church; at the same time that it is a conclusion, by which those who deny the validity of the premises in this case laid down, cannot consider themselves to be affected. The question, therefore, is not whether the Church of England has determined rightly, or otherwise, on this subject; but whether her ministers do not act in strict conformity with their character and duty, by instructing the members of that Church in the nature of the spiritual society to which they belong, with the view of preventing them from sinning ignorantly by needless separation from it. At the same time, with respect to those who are in an actual state of separation, we say with the Apostle, "what have we to do to judge them that are without "- "them that are without God judgeth:" they are in the hands of that all-gracious and all-merciful Being, who judgeth righteous judgment, and to Him we leave them. To those, therefore, who seem to consider the delivery of any decided judgment on the constitution of the Church, and the subjects necessarily connected with it, to be inconsistent with Christian charity; it may be proper to observe, that the most enlarged idea of toleration is perfectly consistent with the most strenuous exertion in the cause of the Church; and that "the zeal" which is “according to knowledge," while it shuns the intemperance which is as repugnant to the spirit of Christianity as it is to the common feelings of mankind, still finds itself properly employed in contending earnestly for the truth.

* 1 Cor. v. 12 and 13.

It was the

+ Rom. x. 2.

language of the primitive Church, that “it is no part of religion to force religion." "Non est religionis cogere religionem."* And, on following the history of the Christian Church from its earliest days down to the present time, it will be found, that to be intolerant and uncharitable has been more the characteristic of error than of truth. To contend earnestly for the truth, then, and to be wanting in charity towards those who unhappily do not possess it, are dispositions of the mind, between which there is certainly no necessary connection.

But if a minister of the Church is to refrain from teaching the fundamental principles of Church government, from a consideration of thereby giving offence, by appearing to pronounce sentence on those who separate from it; for the same reason he must refrain from insisting decidedly on any doctrine whatever; for there is no doctrine of the Church which will not meet with parties to whom it is obnoxious. The preaching up, for instance, the being and providence of God, will be offensive to atheists and worldlings, (of whom, it is to be feared, there is no small number) because they are thereby concluded under damning unbelief. The authority of the Scriptures, and the certainty of revealed religion, are points equally offensive to deists and sceptics. The union of the divine and human nature, as preparatory to the great work of atonement, is a doctrine not to be insisted upon; because of its alarming consequence to Arians, Socinians, and Unitarians. The

* Tertullian ad Scapulam.

doctrine of the Christian Sacraments must, in like manner, be kept out of sight, from fear of giving offence to that sect among us which is distinguished, partly, by the rejection of the seals divinely appropriated to the Gospel covenant.

and

This sacrifice of principle, by the adoption of an accommodating system, from a desire of not giving offence, (which, by a misnomer, characteristic of the present age, is called liberality) certainly bears no affinity to that Christian charity to which it pretends. For Christian charity has for its primary object the salvation of souls; which is not to be effected by humouring men in their error, but by making them see it; with this view, writing them up to the truth instead of writing, as the manner of some hath been, the truth down to them. And the great excellence of Christian charity consists in its making a proper discrimination between the sinner and the sin, condemning unequivocally the one, whilst it is, at the same time, desirous of of sparing, and even doing all manner of good, to the other; after the example of our truly charitable Saviour, who, though he severely rebuked his disciples for their desire to call down fire on a village of Samaria as a punishment for its refusal to receive him, yet, when he had occasion to speak of the religion of its inhabitants, he did not admit that they were within the pale of the true Church, by decidedly declaring that they knew not what they worshipped, and that

salvation was of the Jews.

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With such an example before me, I claim the right to which a Minister of the Church is entitled, of maintaining the ground on which she stands, and of reasoning for the benefit of her members, in conformity with those premises which she has authoritatively laid down, without being considered answerable, in any way, for consequences which may attach to a denial of her premises, or to a separation from her communion. These consequences it is my utmost wish, from a general love towards my Christian brethren, to prevent; though I dare not indulge a hope that any feeble efforts of mine will turn to much account, after the arguments of so many wise and learned men have proved ineffectual. Still, when I see so many apparently idle and unconcerned, whilst the enemy is digging and undermining the very ground on which they stand; and at the same time consider that they who help not to support the Church when she is in distress, do in reality contribute to pull her down; in writing as an honest minister of that Church ought to write on her subject, I feel that satisfaction which must ever accompany a conscientious discharge of duty.

All I request of my reader is, that he would lay aside every prejudice, and with becoming reverence and humility of soul, take his instruction from God; since to be wise above what is written, whether in matters of doctrine or discipline, is to throw up the reigns to inordinate affection, and to multiply error without end. Adverting to the effects the latitudinarian principle has already

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