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quence of his being in the latter, it is not our bufinefs to determine. In this cafe," as we know only in part, we therefore prophefy only in part." Still we know enough to authorise us to fay, that the opinions of men can make no alteration in Divine inftitutions; and though practice may render fin fo familiar, that all fense of it shall be loft, yet no practice can change the nature of it; confequently that heinous fin which fchifm was pronounced to be in the primitive days of the church, that fin it must continue to be, fo long as the church endureth.

I have the honour to be,

&c. &c.

LETTER VII.

IN

Sir,

re

N the foregoing Letters, " I have, as near as I could, feriously answered things of weight; with fmaller I have dealt as I thought their quality did require."*

It was not so much my object to point out the weakness of the ground which you occafionally take, as to examine the ftrength of it, wherever it was was to be found: much less was it my wish to take notice of those littlenesses, which will fometimes creep into our writings, in spite of our better judgment; which, on the fuppofition that they really apply to the man to whom they are addreffed, do not belong to the cause in which he is engaged. "The dif courtefies which we experience, (faid the excellent JORTIN, alluding to the reception which fome of his writings met with from those who differed from him

HOOKER. A

in opinion) are things too common and too infignificant, to deserve a place in our memory, or in our writings; it is best to bury them in eternal oblivion.” Dedication to the fecond volume of Remarks, &c.

The object in view in my publication, however indifferent the execution of it may be, ought to have entitled the author to the candour, if not to the good opinion of every well-wisher to the establishment. For the axiom, that without religion no government can long fubfift, is not, I believe, a more decided one, than that the appointment of fome regular ecclefiaftical conftitution is neceffary to the preservation of pure doctrine.

Our SAVIOUR thought fo, and therefore eftablished his church: that, as it was the office of the priests under the law to keep the light always burning in the temple, fo it should become the office of their fucceffors under the Gospel, so to keep the pure light of Divine truth burning in the church, as thereby to preserve it from being blown out by the false doctrines, which He, in his wifdom, forefaw the vain imaginations of men wonld be continually raifing up.

When we communicate with flesh and blood, we may think nothing effential in Divine worship, but what our own fancies may direct: we may separate

from the temple of the LORD, and with JEROBOAM "caft off the priests from executing their office." 2 Chron. xi. 14. But when we fee God's will by his word, we find, that under the Gofpel, as under the law, there are certain pofitive inftitutions, which dó not leave to Chriftians that liberty in religious matters, which fome among them have been at times apt to imagine. The GOD whom we worship has, under every difpenfation, diftinguished himself as the GoD of order, not of confufion. The offices and fervice of the Jewish temple had the fanction of his exprefs appointment; and every violation of order, under that difpenfation, was followed by an immediate judgment on the party. To fecure the worship of the true God from the corruption of heathen idola try, it was deemed neceffary, in the council of Divine wisdom, to restrain the vain imaginations of men by fome fettled and appointed forms. This idea gave rise to the establishment of that economy, which was defigned as introductory to a more perfect fyftem; by which the Jewish people, as the keepers of the oracles of GOD, Rom. iii. 2, were diftinguished from all the nations of the world.

In conformity with the fame idea, of preferving the knowledge of that falvation which was prefigured

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under the law, did our SAVIOUR establish his church under the Gospel; upon which occafion the oracles of GoD and the mysteries of religion were delivered to appointed guardians, for the purpose of their being duly administered for the benefit of mankind. This treafure, as the Apostle calls it, was committed, it is true, to earthen veffels, who flood in need of Divine affiftance to enable them to preferve their important charge; ftill it was committed to them, that it might be fo continued in them, as to become a standard of faith, neceffary to fecure the unity of the church.

When God enters into covenant with man, there must be fome visible appointed minifters, and visible facraments, for the purpose of applying the benefits of that covenant to the parties concerned in it. Without thefe inftituted means of grace, the vifibility of the church of CHRIST will not be preferved in the world. And if there be no vifible church com munion, men will by degrees return to the religion of nature; a religion without a prieft, and without a facrifice; in which no man fhall be faved, who rejects that plan of Gospel falvation that has been provided for him.

To counteract this gracious plan, has been the uniform object of the grand deceiver of mankind

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