fucceffion of bishops, to whom the Church in every place had been committed." And numberlefs are the teftimonies 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 preferve the original records of its charter from corruption. It is called in Scripture, as we have already observed, and for the reafon 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 moft probably extinguished.

This Apoftolic government of the Church then, however lightly it may be now esteemed, by perfons who have formed their judgment on this fubject more from the opinions of men, than from the revelations of GOD, appears to be of moft effential importance, in the prefervation of thofe very effentials, which many of thofe, who erroneoufly 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 eft, 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 thofe effentials is to be afcertained. 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 contending opinions of different fects, all of which will not fail to be equally confident in their refpective tenets? In fuch cafe, the conclufion drawn will not fail to be to the difadvantage of religion in general. "Ye diffent among yourfelves, (faid CLEMENS ALEX ANDRINUS, fpeaking of the objections thrown out against the Chriftian 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 curfeth and condemneth another. And therefore your religion is not true, nor hath its begining or ground from GOD."" fact, however diftant the event may be, the confequence of removing the standard of Church authority, by which the genuine doctrine committed to the Apostles is capable of being afcertained, and thereby giving countenance to the wild notion that everý man is left at liberty to form his own Church, and

* Vos Chriftiani diffidetis inter ros, 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.

In

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 obferved)" where GOD doth build his city, the Devil will have another hard by to confront it;" or in the language of LUTHER, "Where CHRIST ere&teth his Church, the Devil will have his chapel;" it be comes matter for moft ferious confideration with those who feem indifferent to the divifions prevailing among Christians, whether any state of things in the Chriftian world can be more defirable to the grand enemy of the Church, whose continued object it is to coun→

* BOUCHER'S Discourses, 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 fupply, to have always his minifters in or about the Church: qui fub vocabulo Chriftiano doc trinæ refifterent Chriftianæ-who under a Chriftian name might re fift the Chriftian doctrine."-AUGUST. de Civit. DE1; lib.xviii. c.5 1.

teract, and thereby destroy, its gracious defign, that to fee the increafing growth of herefy and fchifm; and Chriftians 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 loofe condu& are inftrumental 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 confirmed 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 house, a feparate priesthood, and a separate religion, from his country. And when the ten tribes, in confequence of their revolt, feparated from the established worship at Jerufalem, they fell into thofe numberlefs idolatries, which at

length led to their captivity and difperfion. . It was also when there was no king in our Israel, and when, in confequence of the Apoftolic government of the Church being fuperfeded among us by an overbearing faction, every man did what was right in his own. eyes; that fixty different fects prevailed in this land, presenting fuch a motley religion, as left the greater part of its inhabitants without any found notions on the fubject. It stands moreover upon record, that DURY, one of the leading and most zealous patrons of prefbytery, and MELVILL'S principal instrument in establishing that form of Church government in Scotland; as if twenty years' experience had furnished him with full conviction of the truth of JEROM'S affertion, that bishops were originally placed at the head of the Church, that the feeds of fchifm might be taken away, ("ut schifmatum femina tollerentur;") left the following teftimony on his deathbed in favour of the original Apoftolic government. When fome brethren came to vifit him, he requested them to tell the Affembly as from him, "that there was neceffity of restoring the ancient government of the Church, because of the unruliness of the young minifters, who would not be advised by the elder fort, nor kept in order. And fince both the state of the Church did require it, and the King did labour for it, he wished them to make no trouble therefore, but only to infift with the King, that the best minifters, and of greatest experience, might be preferred to

D