nions, can confiftently ufe to diffuade his auditors from the most atrocious crimes; and even the more moderate adherents to the apostle of Geneva, who hold man to be merely paffive in the work of falvation, certainly deprive themselves of the ftrongest arguments that can be urged on the fide of virtue, namely, the promise of its future reward; which term, though actually used by our Saviour, they frequently cavil at in the difcourfes of our clergy. We may generally obferve, that no ftyle of preaching can promote Chrif tian edification, which diminishes the fenfe of human responsibility, and makes either our Maker or our nature answerable for our actual offences. I believe we have examined with fufficient minuteness that pretended love of edification, which draws many weak people from the church in which they received baptifm, and from whofe pale it is criminal for them to depart

on

We

on light and frivolous pretences. have seen how little reason they have to expect fuch advantages, either from the matter or the manner of their new inftructors; but, on the other hand, how much danger there is, that the light within them will be quenched by a superabundance of words without knowledge, and opinions without argument. It is most earnestly to be wished, for their own fakes, as well as for the peace of our Jerufalem, that these, perhaps well-meaning, but certainly blamable wanderers, would be content to see what is plainly their duty, and to avoid fuch curious myfteries as human intellect can never clearly explore.

Sometimes, diffatisfaction proceeds no further than cenfure and complaint against our ordinances and officials, and does not amount to that breach of communion which conftitutes the offence of fchifm. I would earnestly exhort perfons thus r 6 circumstanced,

circumstanced, in the words of a very learned and amiable divine, You are "haunted with fcruples and mifgivings;

purfue your own courfe, and fee what "will be the refult. You are difcon"tented with fomething in your own "church; look out for another: fup"pofing you found one perfectly to your "mind; yet even then you ought not " to join it, except the change will com"penfate for the mischiefs of schism, and " for any accidental inconveniencies, such "as increase of distance, &c. But the "fuppofition of a church perfectly un"exceptionable is not to be admitted; "fuch perfection is fo improbable, that,

guiding ourselves by experience, we "muft expect that if you find any num"ber of errors or faults in your own "church, you will find fome in other "churches; perhaps as many as in your ❝own, or more: you cannot then be "confiftent in that cafe, except you quit "them

them all the queftion then would be, "whether you may quit all religious fo "cieties, and worship God in folitude? "We anfwer, every thing in the nature "of the thing, every thing in the ex"preffions of Scripture, is against fuch

a measure. If you are alone, you "must lofe most of the benefits of reli "gion; inftruction and fympathy wholly, "and affociation in a great degree; even "reading and meditation grow either "dead or extravagant. And the pretence "is trifling; nor are you at liberty to act "upon it, except you alfo determine to "retire from civil fociety, and to fix

yourself in fome defart or uninhabited

"ifland, because in monarchies you have "found fome oppreffion, in democracies "fome turbulence, and in every form of "civil government fomething inconfift"ent with your ideas of perfection

Hey's Lectures, vol. 2d, pages 119, 120.

I have

I have been thus copious on what I feel to be a very painful subject, on account of the rapid progrefs which ecclefiaftical infubordination is making, especially among the humbler walks of life. I have not used the name of evangelical, affumed by our opponents, out of reproach; nor yet by any means as acquiefcing in the arrogant pretenfion, that they have a fu-> perior right to the title, or that the light of the gospel is no where diffused in this ifland, but where they have raised the standard of feparation from the church, or furreptitiously attempted to pass for her only genuine offspring. Lefs danger refults to our establishment from open foes, than from those who excite difputa-. tions under the pretext of zealous duty. I call upon thefe, in the name of God, to fay why, if they really teach the fame doctrine as their clerical brethren, they affect to confider themselves as a distinct

body?