confpicuous branch of the visible church of CHRIST. When a church fhall have arrived to that extreme state of corruption, as no longer to be entitled to the distinction of being a church, it is God's business to determine, not ours; and when this has been determined, the event will prove. At the fame time it must be faid, that the reader muft poffefs little claim to discrimination of judgment on this fubject, who does not clearly diftinguish between the conftitution of the church, as a fociety Divinely instituted, and the corruptions to which fuch constitution may at times be made fubfervient.

Indeed if man be to take upon himself to determine when error in a church fhall take away from it its distinctive character, the remedy in this cafe will prove worfe than the disease. However much to be deprecated error is in any cafe, yet error in the church is not fo bad as error out of it; for it is under fome restraint, and on that account not likely to be carried to fuch an extent as when men are left to their own ima ginations. But you have found out a fhort way of fettling this matter. You fay where the pure word of GOD is preached, there is the true church; and where that word is not preached, there is no true church. Now as many parts of your publication are ex

prefsly calculated to give the reader to understand that the pure word of God is preached out of the church but not in it, the conclufion follows, in your words, that the church becomes the conventicle, and the conventicle the church. To fhew the weakness as well as danger of fuch kind of loofe argument, especially when it finds its way into the heads of common people, permit me to apply it to another fubject.

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The House of Commons is confidered, if I if I may fay, as the conftitutional mouth-piece of the people; when through corruption the voice of the people is not fairly heard, there can be no true Houfe of Commons. Where the voice of the people is fairly heard, as may be faid to be the cafe, when a conventional mob is affembled under their factious leaders, there the true Houfe of Commons exifts. In fuch cafe the conventional mob is to be looked up to as the true Houfe of Commons, and the House of Commons is degraded into an irregular and unlawful meeting. And the confequences which are likely to follow from fuch a mode of reafoning, will, I am perfuaded, be nearly the fame, whether applied to church or state; under the plaufible idea of reformation, they will tend to the deftruction of the conftitution in both.

I perfectly agree with you, Sir, with refpect to the neceffity of the pure word of GOD being preached in the church. The church was established for that very purpofe; and it must be the wifh of every fincere Christian, that such purpose may be most effectually answered. But I am not to take every man's word with respect to the pure doctrine being not preached in the church, no more than I ought to form a judgment of the corruption of the Houfe of Commons from the declaration of every noify demagogue. The church and the House of Commons are two parts of our conftitution. It is not for me, as a good fubject, to form a rash and hafty judgment of either; much less to conclude, that error in the one or corruption in the other juftifies me in attempting their destruction. Whilst men are what they are, there will be a portion of error in the church, as well as of corruption in the state; and if we have taken up the Utopian idea that nothing fhall be established that does not promise abfolute perfection, we fhall have nothing fettled among us to the end of time.

But before I quit this point, let us confider a moment. You give us to understand, that the pure word of God is not preached in the church. Now this is either a matter of fact or matter of opinion,

If it be a matter of fact, let it in GoD's name be rectified. If it be only a matter of opinion, it ought to be proved. You confider the Calvinistic doctrine. to be the pure word of God. The Calvinistic doctrine, it will be admitted, is not preached in the church, and feeing that doctrine as I fee it, I trust it never will. But when you fay, that where the Calvinistic doctrine is not preached, the pure word of GOD is not preached, this I conceive to be begging the question. When you have proved from scripture that the Calviniftic doctrine is the pure word of GOD, I shall think myself bound to subscribe to it, and with your Bishop BABINGTON fhall confider it to be "the duty of all faithful ministers to preach it to the people, as part of the counfel of GOD," But for this purpose you must be fatisfied that fomething more is neceffary than naked unfupported affertion.

I am not at all furprised to find that a person who has formed fo imperfect an idea of the nature and conftitution of the Chriftian church, fhould appear to be a perfect stranger to the office and character of the Christian priesthood. Provided the liturgy of the church of England be read, and the facraments are administered, it seems to be a matter of no confideration with you, where or by whom these services are

performed. It may be proper therefore to remind you, that the words of the liturgy do not conftitute the fervice of the church; nor does the form of breaking bread and pouring out wine, and diftributing them to an attendant congregation, make it a facrament of our church. The complete service of the church of England can be performed no where without a priest. The prayers may be read indeed by any one, and the facraments administered by any perfon acquainted with the form; but this is not the service of the church of England, but a proftitution of it; because, according to the doctrine of our church, no one but a priest has received authority to pronounce absolution, to blefs the people in GoD's name, and to offer up to GOD the facrifice of the altar. It is neceffary only to confult the rubric, to be fatisfied on these points. "It is the office of a priest (fays ST. AMBROSE) to ftand between GOD and the people, and to pray unto him for the forgiveness of their fins, which CHRIST did, who ever lives to make interceffion for us, when he offered himself upon the crofs."* ST. PAUL tells you, (Heb. xiii, 13) that "we have an altar in the

* Pontificis officium eft inter DEUм ftare et populum, et DEUM precari pro populi delictis. Hoc enim CHRISTUS fecit, feipfum offerens pro precatis noftris, femper vivens ad interpellandum pra nobis. Ep. ad Heb. c. 5.