CHAPTER İÍ.

On the Nature of the Sin of SCHISM: and the Proof of it.

THE corruption of fallen man, which, by generating a multiplicity of errors in religion, at length extinguished the light of divine truth in a great part of the world; has, even among Christians, introduced by degrees such confusion into the subject under consideration, as to render it impossible to ascertain, with any correctness, in what way it was intended that the gracious plan for the recovery of a lost world should be carried into effect, but by confining our attention to that standard of judgment which has been set up in Scripture, for our information and direction in this respect. A notorious departure from this divine standard having been the prolific cause of that evil, of which the Church has had such abundant reason to complain; the only proper and

certain remedy for it will be found in a return to that standard again. And could the enquiring Christian, on his return to it, but leave the independance and prejudices of the natural man behind him, there is little room to doubt of the effi cacy of the remedy, which in such case he shall have wisely adopted.

For, on appeal to the sacred writings, he would find such a consistency in the general design, together with such a striking correspondence between the several parts of the plan set on foot for the salvation of fallen man, bearing decisive testimony to the character of its divine Framer; as must, it might be supposed, induce him, in justice to himself, as a reasonable being, to act in strict conformity with it.

From the time that a merciful God condescended to enter into a new covenant with man on his fall, some means appear to have been instituted by divine wisdom, with a view to the effectual administration of that covenant, for the benefit of the favoured party. For man, by falling from his Maker, had rendered himself so incapable of effecting any thing to

wards his own reinstatement in the divine favour, that God was, if we may so say, obliged to take the work of his restoration upon himself. Had not this been the case, man must for ever have remained in the hopeless condition to which his fall had reduced him.

Unwilling, that the impress of the divine image should be entirely defaced, and that his favourite creature should for a moment continue in an utterly lost condition, God in mercy provided a ransom, before the ransomed party was in actual existence; by ordaining a Saviour for man "before the foundation of the world *" But that divine Being, who "seeth the end from the beginning," in the wisdom of whose councils the gracious plan of redemption was originally laid, knowing what would be the infirmity of that fallen nature which it was in contemplation to recover; took care, in his abundant mercy, to provide the assistance necessary to the completion of the desired object. With this view fallen man was, as it were, taken into God's holy

* 1 Pet. i. 20.

keeping; being placed under the administration of certain divinely appointed means, graciously intended to bring him, through a course of appropriate discipline, into a fit condition for that happiness, which was still in mercy reserved for him.

A primary object of which appointed means appears to be, that, whilst man, in consequence of sin, could not appear in the presence of his offended Maker; to prevent his falling into despair, an access to the throne of grace was through these means left open to him; to the end that a communication between heaven and earth might still be carried on, for the purpose of conveying to man, under the circumstances of his condition, that spiri tual assistance which alone could revive, and renew in him that image which had, in a great degree, been lost.

That these means should be regularly and properly administered, must, therefore, be a matter of the first importance. to the dearest interests of man; at the same time, that the spiritual effect intended to be derived from them was most

most essential to the accomplishment of the divine plan in his favour. Hence it was to be expected, that the establishment of these means would constitute a principal feature in the divine economy of grace; that nothing might be wanting on God's part towards carrying that wonderful work of redemption, which originated with God, and remained to be conducted by God, to a successful termination.

Such appears to have been the design of all religious ordinances, in their original appointment by divine wisdom, however, in process of time, they have been corrupted and abused by human folly.

This gracious provision for the spiritual wants of fallen man, in order to his recovery to a capacity for communion with his Maker, marks, as it might be expected that it should, every stage of the progress of the divine dispensations; every part of the economy of grace having the same object in view, that of bringing man back to his Maker, by the way, and through the means of God's appointment.

The first public circumstantial provision made by divine wisdom for the manage