glory. And when it is confidered, that that conftitution of the Christian Church, for which we manifest our reverence, and in defence of which we have ventured to commit ourselves to the public, has been acknowledged even by those who are least difpofed to commend it, to "have been from the beginning favourable to peace and good order, and fubmiffion to the Sovereign; and never been the occafion of any civil commotion in any country in which it has been once established;" a principled attachment to fuch a Church will, it is prefumed, by every well-wisher to the community, be regarded as a more fit subject for refpect and commendation, than for obloquy and reproach.

But it is faid, and the prefent liberal mode of thinking (as it is falfely called) fanctions the idea, that to insist on the Apoftolic form, as the only Divine institution of Church government, is to pronounce an uncharitable fentence on all those who do not conform to it; on the ground, that thofe Chriftians who are not in the Church, must neceffarily be out of it; and as fuch, unpoffeffed of a covenanted title to the promises made to the Church by its Divine Head. Now, admitting the confequence in this cafe, it is certainly a confequence for which the Clergy of the Church of England are not anfwerable. To be confiftent minifters of that Church, they must argue confiftently from the premises which that Church has laid down.

*SMITH'S "Wealth of Nations," b. viii. c. 1.

Admitting, then, that the conclufion drawn from these premises, may found harsh to the ears of those who separate from her communion, it ought ftill not to offend them; because it is that conclusion, which they must expect fhould be drawn by every honeft minister of the Church; at the fame time that it is a conclufion, by which those who deny the validity of the premises in this cafe laid down, cannot confider themselves to be affected. The queftion therefore is not, whether the Church of England has determined rightly, or otherwife, on this fubject; but whether her minifters do not act in ftrict conformity with their character and duty, by inftructing the members of that Church in the nature of the fpiritual fociety to which they belong, with the view of preventing them from finning ignorantly by needlefs feparation from it. At the fame time, with respect to those who are in an actual state of feparation, we fay with the Apostle, "what have we to do to judge them that are without; them which are without God judgeth," they are in the hands of that all-gracious and all-merciful Being, who judgeth righteous judgment; and to Him we leave them.

To those therefore, who feem to confider the delivery of any decided judgment on the constitution of the Church, and the fubjects neceffarily connected with it, to be inconfiftent with Chriftian charity, it may be proper to obferve, that the most enlarged idea of toleration is perfectly consistent with the most

ftrenuous exertion in the cause of the Church; and that "the zeal," which is " according to knowledge," while it fhuns the intemperance, which is as repugnant to the spirit of Christianity, as it is to the common feelings of mankind, ftill finds felf properly employed, in contending earnestly for the truth. It was the language of the primitive Church, that " it is no part of religion to force religion," "Non eft religionis cogere religionem."* And, on following the history of the Chriftian Church, from its earliest days down to the present time, it will be found, that to be intolerant and uncharitable has been more the characteristic of error than of truth. To contend earnestly for the truth then, and to be wanting in charity towards those who unhappily do not poffefs it, are difpofitions of the mind, between which there is certainly no neceffary connection.

But if a minifter of the Church is to refrain from teaching the fundamental principles of Church government, from a confideration of thereby giving. offence, by appearing to pronounce fentence on those who separate from it; for the fame reafon he must refrain from infifting decidedly on any doctrine whatever; for there is no doctrine of the Church, which will not meet with parties to whom it is obnoxious. The preaching up, for inftance, the being and providence of GOD, will be offenfive to atheists and worldlings, (of whom, it is to be feared, there is no

*TERTULLIAN ad SCAPULAM.

fmall number;) because they are thereby concluded under damning unbelief. The authority of the Scriptures, and the certainty of revealed religion, are points equally offenfive to deifts and fceptics. The union of the divine and human nature, as preparatory to the great work of atonement, is a doctrine not to be infifted upon; because of its alarming confequence to Arians, Socinians, and Unitarians. The doctrine of the Chriftian Sacraments muft, in like manner, be kept out of fight; from fear of giving offence to that fect among us, which is distinguished, partly, by the rejection of the feals divinely appropriated to the Gospel covenant.

This facrifice of principle, by the adoption of an accommodating fystem, from a defire of not giving offence, (which by a mifnomer, characteristic of the present age, is called liberality) certainly bears no affinity to that Christian charity to which it pretends. For Chriftian charity has for its primary object the falvation of fouls; which is not to be effected by humouring men in their error, but by making them fee it; and with this view, writing them up to the truth, instead of writing, as the manner of fome hath been, the truth down to them. And the great excellence of Christian charity confifts in its making a proper difcrimination between the finner and the fin; condemning unequivocally the one, whilft it is at the fame time defirous of fparing, and even doing all manner of good to the other: after the example of

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our truly charitable SAVIOUR, who, tho' he severely rebuked his disciples for their defire to call down fire on a village of Samaria, as a punishment for its refufal to receive him; yet, when he had occafion to fpeak of the religion of its inhabitants, he did not admit that they were within the pale of the true Church; by decidedly declaring, that "they knew not what they worshipped, and that falvation was of the Jews.

With fuch an example before me, I claim the right, to which a Minifter of the Church is entitled, of maintaining the ground on which fhe ftands; and of reasoning, for the benefit of her members, in conformity with those premises, which fhe has authoritatively laid down; without being confidered anfwerable, in any way, for consequences which may attach to a denial of her premises, or to a feparation from her communion. These confequences it is my utmoft wifh, from a general love towards my Christian brethren, to prevent; though I dare not indulge an hope, that any feeble efforts of mine will turn to much account, after the arguments of so many wife and learned men have proved ineffectual. Still, when I fee fo many apparently idle and unconcerned, whilst the enemy is digging and undermining the very ground on which they stand; and at the same time confider, that they who help not to fupport the Church when fhe is in distress, do in reality contribute to pull her down: in writing, as an honest minister of that Church