mies of all Christian people, and are now endeavouring to overthrow the faith of our creeds and articles.

When we speak of the use of the Church, we should never forget the great benefit and information which arises from the fasts and festivals of the Church; (totally neglected by the sectaries) by the course of which, the piety of Christians is directed to all the great subjects of the gospel: some of which might otherwise never be revived in our thoughts during the whole year. But the Church spends its year with Jesus Christ, and follows him in faith, through all the great works of his mediatorial office, from his advent to the sending down of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. On this ground, the work of Mr. Nelson is of great value to all Christian families; and we have reason to hope it will never fall into disuse: though all persons, fanatically inclined, are very cold to the merits of it, and the sectaries, it is to be supposed, must reject it on their own principles.

Here I must add, that the wisdom of God is farther manifest, in appointing a provision for his ministers, independent of the people. The maintenance of the Jewish priesthood was from God; for the tythes and offerings, on which

they

they lived, were first dedicated to God, and from him transferred for the support of his ministry. So doth he himself state the case by the prophet: Ye have robbed me, saith he, in tythes and offerings; as if they were his own. property: and so they were; for being dedicated to God, the first proprietor of all things, they belong to him before they belong to his Church. The wisdom and piety of christian ftates followed the rule of the scripture from the earliest times; and it still obtains in this country. And what would be the consequence if it were not so? While the minister depends only upon the God to whom he is accountable, he dares speak the truth: but where he is dependent on the people, and the people are corrupt, then he must accommodate himself to their fancy. For this reason, if the people of a congregation, who chuse their own minister, fall into heresy, they rarely or never get out of it, because they will bear no teacher, but one who is of their own persuasion, and will flatter them in their errors.

I have nothing more to say upon the nature of the Church, but to shew the extent of its authority. Every society must have power over its own members, to admit or exclude as the case requires: it cannot otherwise subsist.

The

The Church, from the days of the Apostles, always exercised the power of excommunicating notorious offenders, and of absolving and restoring true penitents. Excommunication is nothing but a reversing of baptism; and they who have authority to baptize, must have authority to excommunicate. The Church must also have authority in directing its own worship and services, as to time, place, ceremonies.— Let all things be done decently and in order: but what is decency, and what is order, is not specified, and must be left to the discretion of the rulers of the Church. The Church has no authority to ordain any thing contrary to the law of God; nor doth the law of God depend upon the authority of the Church. There are three sorts of things about which the Church is conversant; good, bad, and indifferent: the good oblige by their own nature; the bad cannot be enforced by any authority: therefore the authority of the Church must extend to things indifferent, that is to order and discipline, to circumstances of time, place, forms of worship, ceremonies, and such like: and to disobey because they are indifferent is to deny that God hath given power to his Church to regulate any one thing whatsoever.

Ought we not, on the foregoing considera

VOL. IV.

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tions,

pre

tions, to magnify the goodness and wisdom of God, who hath provided a Church for the reception of lost mankind, and given to it the light of truth, and the means of grace? No subject can be plainer than this of the nature and constitution of the Church: and the necessity of its ministry and ordinances to the salvation of man, and the preservation of truth, cha rity, peace, and godliness, is as clear as the sun. What a blessed thing it would be for us, if all people could see this! What temptations, corruptions, tumults, and miseries, would it vent amongst mankind! But alas! they are ever ingenious in defeating the purposes of God for their own good. They have ways and expedients, not only of making themselves easy without the benefits of the Christian Church, bnt of actually casting them all off with a high hand, as needless, superstitious, dangerous, and even sinful, and anti-christian; not helps to salvation, but hindrances. How this matter is, and with what reasonings they deceive themselves; we shall discover with very little inquiry.

CHAP.

CHAPTER III.

THE ERRORS, WHICH TEMPT MEN TO LEAVE THE CHURCH, AND MAKE THEM EASY WHEN THEY ARE SEPARATED FROM IT.

THE means of grace, and the promises of God, being with his Church, they who would be made partakers of them, must apply to the Church: and who would not? Who would not willingly flee from Sodom on fire to take refuge in Zoar? When the storm is abroad, the beasts have sense to fly to a place of shelter: and as the wrath of God is denounced against this world, men must be enemies to themselves, if they refuse to be delivered in the way which God hath appointed. But we know nothing of this world, if we think all men are friends to their own spiritual interest. Many will rather have recourse to their own imaginations: and when

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