any hidden mysteries, which they imparted to none but the perfect, (as the heretics pretend) they would have committed them with particular care to those perfons, to whom they committed the churches themselves. For they would be extremely defirous, that those should be perfect, and unreproveable in all things, whom they left to be their fucceffors, and to whom they configned their own authority."* And afterwards, speaking with immediate reference to the Church of Rome, as the largest, most ancient, and then beft-known, church in the world; he proceeds thus: "By fhewing forth the tradition received from the Apostles, and the faith delivered to mankind, and defcended even to us by means of the fucceffions of thofe bifhops, (to whom that Church has been committed) we confound all these heretics." TERTULLIAN argues against heretics in a fimilar way, where he fays," that the true knowledge of the Apoftolic doctrine, of the ancient state of the Church, together with that of the character of the body of CHRIST, was preferved in the whole world by the

* "Habemus annumerare eos, qui ab Apoftolis inftituti funt Epifcopi in ecclefiis, et fucceffiones eorum ufque ad nos, qui nil tale docuerunt neque cognoverunt, quale ab his deliratur. Etenim fi recondita myfteria fciffent Apoftoli, quæ feorfim et latenter ab reliquis perfectos docebant, his vel maximè traderent ea, quibus etiam ipfas ecclefias committebant. Valde enim perfectos et irreprehenfibiles in omnibus eos volebent effe, quos et fucceffores relinquebant, fuum ipforum locum magifterii tradentes.-IREN. lib. iii. c. 3..

"Eam quam habet ab Apoftolis traditionem, et annunciatam hominibus fidem per fucceffiones Epifcoporum pervenientem ufque ad nos, indicantes confundimus omnes cos, &c."—IREN. lib. iii,c. 3、

fucceffion of bishops, to whom the Church in every place had been committed."* And numberless are the testimonies to be produced from the ancient fathers, particularly from the writings of St. AUGUSTINE against the Donatifts, to prove the principle of the Church being in their days confidered as the foundation of the true faith, though it be inconfiftent with the nature of a preface to bring them forward.

From hence it appears, that the Church, under its appointed governors, is to be confidered as a faithful register, or notary, whofe office it is to preserve the original records of its charter from corruption. It is called in Scripture, as we have already observed, and for the reason above given," the pillar of the truth." In the book of Revelations it is called a candlestick, whofe office it is to hold and preferve the light. Now, remove the pillar, the building falls into ruin. Throw down the candlestick, the light will be thrown down with it, and most probably extinguished.

This Apoftolic government of the Church then, however lightly it may be now esteemed, by persons who have formed their judgment on this fubject more from the opinions of men, than from the revelations of GOD, appears to be of most essential importance, ¡n the preservation of thofe very effentials, which many of thofe, who erroneously confider Church govern

*

"Agnitio vera eft Apoftolorum doctrina, et antiquus ecclefiæ ftatus in univerfo mundo, et character corporis CHRISTI fecundum fucceffiones Epifcoporum, quibus illi eam quæ in unoquoque loco est, ecclefiam tradiderent, quæ pervenit ufque ad nos."—Lib. iv. c. 63.

ment to be a matter of indifference, would be thought most anxious to fecure; because it is the only fure ftandard, by which the authenticity of those effentials is to be ascertained. For, remove this standard, which the regular derivation of Apoftolic truth, through the continued channel of the Church, has fet up; and it may be asked, what criterion will remain, of authority competent to determine between the con→ tending opinions of different fects, all of which will not fail to be equally confident in their respective tenets? In fuch cafe, the conclufion drawn will not fail to be to the difadvantage of religion in general. "Ye diffent among yourselves, (faid CLEMENS ALEXANDRINUS, fpeaking of the objections thrown out against the Christian religion by the infidels of his day) and maintain fo many fects; which fects, notwithstanding they all claim the title of Chriftian religion, yet one of them cùrfeth and condemneth another. And therefore your religion is not true, nor hath its begining or ground from GOD."* In fact, however diftant the event may be, the confe quence of removing the standard of Church authority, by which the genuine doctrine committed to the Apoftles is capable of being ascertained, and thereby giving countenance to the wild notion that every man is left at liberty to form his own Church, and

Vos Chriftiani diffidetis inter vos, et tot fectas habetis; quæ licet omnes Chriftianismi titulum fibi vindicent, tamen alia aliam execratur et condemnat. Quare veftra religio vera non eft, nec a DEO Originem ducit."-CLEMEN. Stromat. lib. vii.

make his own creed, must ultimately terminate in that general indifference, which is but one degree removed from downright infidelity. An indifference, which the enemies of Christianity have been enabled to recommend with too much fuccefs, on the ground of that uncertainty which must apparently attach to a fubject, concerning which men are fo infinitely divided among themselves in opinion. And "when,” (as a found divine of our Church has obferved)" through our own weakness, we have thus given an opportunity to artful and unworthy men, to fow the feeds of confufion, and every evil work; are we to wonder, that GOD fhould at length be provoked to fuffer those who cannot agree with one another, to be destroyed of one another?"* Since then (as St. AUGUSTINE has observed) "where GoD doth build his city, the Devil will have another hard by to confront it;" or in the language of LUTHER, "Where CHRIST erecteth his Church, the Devil will have his chapel;" it becomes matter for most serious confideration with those who seem indifferent to the divifions prevailing among Christians, whether any state of things in the Christian world can be more defirable to the grand enemy of the Church, whose continued object it is to coun, *BOUCHER'S Difcourfes, p. 67.

"When Satan," (faith AUGUSTINE in another part of his wri tings) "faw his temples forfaken, and that his oracles were all put to filence, he cunningly devised for a new supply, to have always his ministers in or about the Church: qui fub vocabulo Christiano doctrinæ refifterent Chriftianæ-who under a Christian name might reLift the Chriftian doctrine."-AUGUST. de Civit. DE1; lib.xviii. c. § 1.

teract, and thereby deftroy, its gracious defign, that to fee the increasing growth of herefy and fchifm; and Christians feeking to know the truth, at the fame time that, in confequence of the diftraction of men's minds on the subject, they are at a lofs where to find it. And these perfons, who by their loose conduct are instrumental in removing the government of the Church from its Apoftolic foundation, and placing it on the waves, the fluctuating opinion of the people, would do well to confider further; that, however fincere their zeal may be for the effentials of Christianity, they are fetting up their judgment against that of God, by feeking to preferve them in a way different from that which has been in wisdom appointed for the purpose: in which cafe it is to be feared, that whilft they think themselves promoting the cause of GOD in the world, it will ultimately be found, that they have been, alas! unconsciously employed in a very different fervice.

The foregoing reafoning ftands fufficiently con .firmed by the hiftory of facts, to claim the attention of every confiderate man. It was (we are told) in those days, when there was no king in Ifrael, and every man did what was right in his own eyes, that Micah introduced a feparate houfe, a feparate priesthood, and a feparate religion, from his country. And when the ten tribes, in confequence of their revolt, feparated from the eftablished worship at Jerufalem, they fell into those numberless idolatries, which at