need not have come into the world.

If since

rity in any persuasion, good or bad, will recommend us to the favor of God; then will lies, if we do but believe them, answer all the purposes of truth then is there no difference between good and evil; and it cannot be worth while to convert Jews, Turks, or Heathens, to the gospel, because they are as safe in their own way. Such are the pleas, by which some men of necessity, and some of malignity, seek to justify themselves, when they leave the Church, or despise or neglect its ordinances. But the foundation of God standeth sure.

After what hath been said, few words will be wanting to convince any thinking person of the dangers and evil consequences which must attend the sin of causeless separation.

If men for salvation are brought out of the world into the Church, they cannot possibly forsake it, without hazard to their salvation.If the promises of God, and the means of grace, are committed to the Church, we lose them when we leave the Church: at least it will be very hard to prove that we carry them away with us: and who would chuse to be under any uncertainty in a case of such importance?

Another evil is that of breaking the great rule of charity in our worship. We are commanded to glorify God with one mind and one mouth,

and all to speak the same thing. How contrary to this is the practice of following different ways of worship, some totally disagreeing with others; and some not deserving the name of any worship at all; for in some of our assemblies people meet for no purpose but to hear one another talk. There is no praying, no confession of sins, no absolution, no thanksgiving, no litany, no sacraments! We read, that the Apostles, when the Holy Ghost descended, were all with one accord in one place; and so ought Christians to be, if they would preserve the presence of the spirit amongst them, who is the spirit of unity. And as the spirit of unity in worship disposes men to a more peaceable and charitable temper; so the spirit of division and fanaticism is attended with violence and bitterness of language, and an intolerant persecuting humour toward all who are not fanatics; especially toward the members of the Church of England, which is deservedly placed at the head of the Protestant Reformation*.

-There

An author who put out a Syllabus of Lectures, in the year 1778, on the Principles of Non-conformity, speaks in the person of Jesus Christ, upon the tribunal of judgment at the last day, and supposes him presenting to the world, on that tremendous occasion, his faithful servants, the non-conformist ministers, as the great objects of his favour; and at the same time sending off those holy tyrants, the bishops of

the

There is also great hazard of losing the doctrines when we leave the worship of the Church. When

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the Church of England, into everlasting fire, with that dreadful sentence-DEPART! And what are they to be damned for? Because they could not approve of Non-con❤ formity! a religion of negatives! They saw enough of its fruits to dislike it in former times, from its first appearance in this kingdom: but they did not see, as we do now, that its end is infidelity; to which it hath been tending for many years past, and hath now attained it in the writings of Dr. Priestley, and the Unitarian Association. These Lectures, with this dreadful sentence of damnation to the bishops, by Brother Robinson, were approved by the Easter Association of Essex, at Harlow, and recommended to the Sister Churches by order of all. June 18, 1778. Of what character must these Sister Churches be, if they are of the same spirit with Brother Robinson? Surely they are not chaste virgins, presentable to a meek and merciful Saviour, who prayed for his murderers; but unmerciful harlots, cursing and damning the established Church for retaining episcopacy. Had there been no con-conformity, the poor bishops might have escaped like other men, and have been entitled to their chance of mercy, through the merits of their Redeemer, who died for them, and for all men, and sent forth the first bishops by his own immediate authority. What would such Non-conformists do, if they had it in their power, who are provoked to such uncharitable ravings under the present most mild and moderate state of the Church of England?

But the most superlative instance of fanatic malignity I ever yet saw, is to be found in the works of Milton, whose malignity was rendered more malignant by the depressed and afflicted condition to which the Church was then re

duced.

When the ten tribes revolted from the worship at Jerusalem, they soon lost the truth of their law, and fell into an idolatrous worshipping of the calves they had set up in Dan and Bethel. Their government was troubled with great disorders, and their confusion ended in their utter dispersion. When men leave the worship of the

Church,

duced. He was a man of a bright and perfect imagination, and gifted with a wonderful choice of beautiful and descriptive expression. But the weapon is the worse for its sharpness, when malice hath the handling of it: and imagination is a mirror which can reflect the fires of hell as well as the lights of heaven; of which, I think, we have an example in the following invective against the bishops of the Church of England: But they-that by the impairing and diminution of the true faith, the distresses and servitude of their country, aspire to high dignity, rule, and promotion here, after a shameful end in this life (which God grant them!) shall be thrown down eternally into the darkest and deepest gulph of hell; where under the de: spiteful control, the trample and spurn of all the other damned, who, in the anguish of their torture, shall have no other ease than to exercise a raving and beastial tyranny over them, as their slaves and negroes, they shall remain in that plight for ever, the basest, the lowermost, the most dejected, most underfoot, and down trodden vassals of perdition.' Conclusion of Milton's Treatise on Reformation, vol. I. p. 274. If it were put to my option, whether I would be an ideot, without a single faculty of mind, or a single sense of the body; or whether I would have Milton's imagination, attended with this fiery spirit of fanaticism; I should not hesitate one moment to determine,

Church, it is very natural for them to become disaffected to its doctrines: and they, who hate the Christian Faith, will take part with those who are against the Church; because they foresee, that if the Church be destroyed, the faith will be lost; as the light goes out when the lamp is broken. One of the most blasphemous books that ever was written in this country against the Christian Faith, was all of it apparently directed against the Church on which consideration, many, who then believed the Christian doctrines, were drawn in by a disaffection to the Church, to take part with an infidel.

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2. I am to remark farther, that with those who are ignorant and ill-instructed in the nature and use of the Church, there is a perverse prejudice in favour of preaching; and consequently a shocking neglect of those duties which belong to the people. It is a fine easy way for people with itching years, to hear a preacher talk them into Heaven; while they neglect all the more essential parts of divine worship. Many hear a Sermon with the same vain curiosity as people hear a speech upon a stage, and consult nothing but their own amusement. And while the whole of the ministerial duty is supposed to consist in preaching,

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