chief fupport fhall, in a great degree, have been drawn from it?

The idea industriously propagated by the Rev. Mr. HAWEIS is certainly calculated to make converts among those to whom it is addreffed; but it requires but a small share of difcernment to discover its fallacy.

"Not all the Popes of Rome, (fays he*) not all the bishops and archbishops, nor all the fynods in the universe, can make a man a minister of CHRIST, whatever preferment he may be qualified to hold by law, who has not been inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost, and called and qualified by the great Shepherd and Bishop of fouls; and where fuch call and qualifications are found, and such a man approved and chofen by fuch as have experienced a like call and qualifications; whether the commiffion be delivered from a rochet or a cloak; if CHRIST owns,

"A Plea for Peace and Union among the living Members of the real church of CHRIST, by the Rev. T. HAWEIS, LL.B."

Mr. HAWEIS's mode of promoting union in the church is rather a fingular one. In the diocese of Peterborough, he may, for any thing I know to the contrary, live in canonical obedience to his bishop. But when the rector of All-Saints, Aldwinckle, comes into the diocese of Bath and Wells, he officiates in a place of worship, that is independent of epifcopal jurisdiction; and that has, as I am informed, with the view of escaping parochial affeffments, lately taken shelter, as a Diffenting Meeting-Houfe, under the Toleration Act. "Such things are!"

bleffes, and makes fuch a minister a father of many spiritual children, and feals his approbation of the work by his fpirit, in figns following; I think every gracious heart will be disposed to acknowledge fuch a man as a minifter of CHRIST, completely authorifed, and will prefer him to all the pomp and pride of worldly dignity, and an unrenewed fpirit, by whatever title distinguished."

Here is some plaufibility mixed with much dangerous doctrine. The whole quotation, taken together, may be confidered as containing Mr. HAWEIS'S infallible plan for vacating the Apoftolic commiffion, by eradicating from men's minds every idea relative to the inftituted government of the Christian church. A strange undertaking for a minister of that church to engage in! According to this plan, the ordination of bishops or archbishops is of little confideration; the call and qualifications of the man make the minifter of CHRIST. But, as this fubject ftrikes me, no fpiritual qualifications whatever can fuperfede the neceffity of a regular appointment to the ministerial office; because CHRIST, for wife reasons, left his church under regular government. Spiritual quali fications enable the minister to discharge his office with better effect; and he will be but an indifferent

minifter, who is wanting in them; but it is the regular appointment alone that makes the man a minifter.

If we confider the church, as it is, a regular fociety, we must have fome fixed rules to go by, in every thing that relates to the management of its concerns. We are directed to feek knowledge from the mouth of the priest, for this reafon, because he is the meffenger of the LORD of Hosts; or, in the words of ST. PAUL, the ambaffador for JESUS CHRIST. Christians must, therefore, be furnished with fome fure criterion, by which they may know where this ambaffador is to be found.

That this is a matter of no trifling concern, we are authorised to conclude, from the attention at all times paid by God to persons invested with the ministerial commiffion, confidered as a fort of mediators between GOD and man. We read, for inftance, that God would not heal ABIMELECH, though he knew the integrity of his heart, till ABRAHAM had prayed for him. "He is a prophet, (fays GOD) he shall pray for thee, and thou fhalt live." Gen. xx. 7. If the good CORNELIUS will have the Gospel revealed to him, he must send to Joppa, for PETER to preach to him.

Now it is a decided pofition, that no ambassador can fend himself. In like manner, and in allufion to the fame idea, the Apoftle afks, "how fhall they preach, except they are fent." Rom. x. 5. Mr. HAWEIS will aufwer the question, by telling us, that thofe perfons are sent into the ministry, who have the inward call and qualifications for it. But there is a wide difference between being qualified for an office, and being authorised to undertake it. The former may be confidered as an invifible thing, of which we may not have it in our power to form a competent judgment. The minister may deceive himself, and of course cannot fail to deceive others. But the outward appointment to an office is that external mark, fuited to the administration of a visible society, which our bleffed SAVIOUR fanctioned by his own practice, and by which we cannot be deceived.

For, taking the fubject on Mr. HAWEIS's ground, it must be asked, who is to judge of the call and qualifications of every particular minister: not the minister himself, furely? not quite fo; but, what appears to amount to the fame thing, minifters of a fimilar defcription, who have received the fame call and qualifications with himself, and have confidered them. as their fufficient warrant for undertaking the ministry.

This appears to me to be a wild mode of writing, calculated only to exalt that little thing called self, at the expence of propriety and order; and thereby to open a door to endless confufion. The great Dr. JOHNSON, whose character for piety is too well established to fuffer us to fuppofe that he meant any difparagement to found religion, when fpeaking of the inward light to which fome pretended, faid, it was a principle utterly incompatible with focial or civil fociety. If a man (faid he) pretend to a principle of action, of which I can know nothing; nay, not so much as that he has it, but only that he pretends to it; how can I tell what that perfon may be prompted to do? When a perfon profeffes to be governed by a written, afcertained law, I can then know where to find him." BOSWELL'S Life.

This judicious obfervation applies to the principle, upon which Mr. HAWEIS appears to act; which, by exchanging a certain and established standard of judgment for a fallible and unwarranted one, leaves the Christian at fome lofs with refpect to the determination of his conduct, upon a fubject of the most effential importance.

Defirous of giving every pious person credit for he beft intentions, I conceive that Mr. HAWEIS