to be pure and temperate. For it is equalled with all those, and many other of the prime graces in the New Testament: it is reckoned with many of them, among the fruits of the Spirit; and the fruits of the Spirit are better and more desirable than the gifts of it."-" Wherefore, if we lived in the age of miracles, or if God, to confute the infidelity of Atheists, or to convert the Mahometans, or for any other reasons, should now renew the gifts of his Spirit; in submission to his pleasure, I should beg, with the prophet Jeremiah, to be excused from all intellectual inspirations, from visions and revelations, and prophecy; from the gifts of tongues and discerning of spirits, and preaching and praying by immediate inspiration. Instead of these gifts which fail, and which are good or bad, as the man is that receives them, I would beg him, for the sake of Jesus, to inspire me with the graces of his Spirit, which never fail; with humility, temperance, purity, justice and charity; for every one of these surpasseth all understanding, and the knowledge of all mysteries; more especially would I beseech him to grant me his

peace, or inspire me with the love of union; which surpasseth all understanding; and would keep my heart and mind from envyings and strife, and from making or fomenting needless divisions; through Jesus Christ my Lord."

CONCLUDING CHAPTER.

THE preceding pages are addressed particularly to members of the Church of England. They proceed on what is considered, by Churchmen at least, to be an incontrovertible position; namely, that the Church of England is a legitimate branch of the original Apostolic Church of Christ. The word incontrovertible, it must be observed, is here used, not in a positive, but a qualified sense; not as intending to give the reader to understand by it, that the position here adverted to never has been controverted; because it is well known, that no position within these last three centuries has been more controverted than this has been; but that it never has been controverted with permanent success. Since the subject to which it refers, stands at this time on the same primitive ground, on which it had stood unshaken for fifteen centuries; and on which it was left standing by our venerable Reformers; in con

formity with the Preface to our Ordination Service in which we read, that "it is evident unto all men, diligently reading the Holy Scripture, and ancient authority, that from the Apostles' time there have been three orders of Ministers in Christ's Church; Bishops, Priests and Deacons, which offices were evermore had in such reverend estimation, that no man might presume to execute any of them, except he were first called, tried, examined, and known to have such qualities, as are requisite for the same; and also by public prayer with imposition of hands were approved and admitted thereunto by lawful authority,"

Such is the primitive ground on which the Church of England is presumed to stand. With this ground therefore every member of the Church of England should be so far acquainted, as to be satisfied that by continuing stedfast to that Church, he is living in communion with that particu lar society of Christians, which derives its origin from Apostolic Establishment, under the sanction of divine authority; an authority to which no other Christian so