ON THE USE OF CREEDS.

To Bible Christians of every Denomination.

RELIGION implies belief in one or more doctrines; these compose a creed: every religious society therefore has a creed.

A creed may be either implied or expressed, and may consist of one or more articles: some sects confine their creed to one, or a few prime articles; others endeavour to embrace them all.

When a society first agree to form themselves into a congregation, and are all of one mind, it is natural for them to wish to continue so, and not to encourage any others to join them who hold discordant sentiments. They may think that they may carry on their religious exercises with greater satisfaction than if they were mingled with those who dissent from them.

This does not hold in small societies only-it applies to the most numerous churches: while they continue all of one mind, they may say to any body of people that wishes to join them, we are content as we are; we think that we worship with more solemnity and devotion; celebrate the communion with more gratitude to Christ, and brotherly love to one another; give our young people a more effective and consistent education, and perform our domestic duties and devotions with more unanimity than we could do with an intermixture of persons who did not relish our mode of thinking and acting."

If, in process of time, any portion of the members should change their opinions, and conscientiously differ from the creed, the rest of the brethren might say to them, like the Father of the faithful,-" Let there be no strife among us, for we are brethren; go you to the right, and we will go to the left; or, if you prefer the left, we will go to the right." All this appears to be natural and reasonable, provided there be no infringement of Christian liberty-no privation of privileges or any reproach or contempt. In this case the parties may form sister churches, and dwell together in sisterly affection. Such proceedings actually took place in the Synod of Ulster on two occasions, with an interval of 100 years. These separations were both preceded by violent disputes, and much animosity, which were carried on by men of strong feelings and passions, and

overweening confidence and zeal; yet, on the part of the body principally concerned, the separation was conducted with moderation and amity. The Presbytery of Antrim withdrew with reluctance, from a deep sense of the guilt of schism; but, when separated, the two bodies continued to partake of the same fund, practise the same discipline and church government, and join in lay and ministerial communion. The same moderation prevailed on the separation of the Remonstrants; they continued on the same footing as the Presbytery of Antrim did. The wish for separation was mutual; and the Synod engaged to reimburse the Remonstrant congregations for money that they had contributed before their withdrawal. The majority were actuated by a desire of peace, and the minority by the dictates of conscience. Notwithstanding the bitter controversies which so often take place between rival churches, and their bigoted partizans, Christendom is in a more peaceable and amicable state than is generally thought.

If we may suppose that Christ were looking down upon the earth, he would see national churches, and other great bodies of his people, engaged in violent and ungodly contentions; but beneath this troubled and clouded atmosphere, he might behold the earth covered with societies of his disciples, living in perfect unity each within itself; he might contemplate these on the day consecrated to himself, offering prayers to his Father in his name, hearkening to the reading and exposition of his Gospel, with exhortations to faith and repentance, love to God, and love to man, and concluding with the celebration of the communion in grateful commemoration of his merits and sufferings; he would then see them occupying themselves in the instruction of the young, and distributing their alms to the poor; finally, he would see them retiring to their own homes to spend the remainder of the day in religious exercises, or in domestic society.

This view of the Christian church is highly gratifying, and I should hope true in the main. There are, no doubt, many blemishes on the face of the church, on which our gracious Redeemer may look with more indulgence and complacency than we do ourselves. Men sometimes dwell on these points with aggravated severity; and many even convert them into objections to Christianity itself, while many of these opinions and re

ligious observances which move our indignation and wrath, may appear of minor importance in the eyes of our Lord, and even be covered and concealed by the sincerity and devotion with which they are maintained and practised; and many of our dissensions may be overlooked as frailties inherent in human nature.

If these pacific principles were more prevalent, ministers would calmly prosecute their professional studies. without irritation from without, or jealousies or suspicions within their congregations, and would make con tinual progress towards the truth. As they discovered new light, their people would gradually learn to walk by it, and in process of time attain to the fulness of evangelical truth. Some may think that this conciliatory plan would damp the spirit of proselytism, and cramp the diffusion of truth. It might, indeed, tend to suppress that passion for personal proselytism which so nearly resembles that condemned by our Lord-sowing discord in families, setting a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, so that a man's foes are those of his own household; but it would not obstruct the diffusion of the Gospel among remote nations, and savage tribes. At home it would bring the disciples into the state of the primitive Christians, when they were of one heart and one soul. Farewell, ERASMUS.

POPERY UNDER THE ROBE OF JOHN CALVIN.

TO THE EDITORS OF The bible cHRISTIAN.

The Calvinistic Presbyterians, having first derived the leading articles of their faith from the church of Rome, the Trinity, Original Sin,-Infant Damnation, satisfaction to divine justice, and imputed righteousness, -are the very foremost to inveigh against the arrogant pretensions of their mother church. But where is the

mighty difference? They both set up human authority in matters of religion; they both agree in what are called fundamentals of religion; and neither the sufficiency of Holy Scripture nor the right of private judgment is an apology for those, who venture to dissent from the faith which these churches have marked out for their priests, and parsons, and lay members. The same spirit of ar

rogance, intolerance, and presumption, characterizes both alike; and I feel well assured, that if the power of the Calvinists was equal to that once possessed by the Romanists, the United Kingdom should be cursed with as cruel an inquisition as ever disgraced the Spanish dominions.

I send you the following extracts from the Westminster Confession of Faith, the doctrines of which must now, let the Bible contain what it will, be professed and taught by the ministers of the General Synod of Ulster, and to which you will please give a place in your valuable publication.

A. M.

"Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit, who worketh when, and where, and how he pleaseth. So also are all other elect persons, who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the word. Chap. 10, Sect. iii."

"Others not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the word, and may have some common operations of the Spirit, yet they never truly come unto Christ, and therefore cannot be saved; much less can men not professing the christian religion be saved in any other way whatsoever, be they ever so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature, and the law of that religion they do profess; and to assert and maintain that they may is very pernicious, and to be detested. Chap. 10, Sect. iv."

"The Lord Jesus, as king and head of his church, hath therein appointed a government in the hand of church-officers, distinct from the civil magistrate. Chap. 30, Sect. i."

"To these officers the keys of the kingdom of heaven are committed, by virtue whereof they have power respectively to retain and remit sins, to shut that kingdom against the impenitent, both by the word and censures; and to open it unto penitent sinners, by the ministry of the gospel, and by absolution from censures, as occasion shall require. Chap. 30, Sect. ii."

UNITARIANISM IN THE "FAR WEST."

(From the Boston Christian Register.)`

We have been permitted to publish extracts from the correspondence of a clergyman of Boston, who has been absent for several months on a missionary tour in the West. The letters were addressed to the secretary of the American Unitarian Association.

It will be seen from the statements which he gives of facts and impressions, that the demand for Liberal preachers in that interesting portion of our country has not been exaggerated in the accounts of those who have preceded him. The fact is, that able and devoted Evangelists-no matter of what name, so that they be earnest followers of Christ, and more anxious to build up holiness than a sect. are needed in our Western cities more than in any part of the World, and would exert a tremendous influence upon the destiny of their inhabitants.

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BUFFALO, N. Y.

I left Boston on Monday afternoon, a week ago yesterday, and after diligent travelling in car, coach, and steam-boat, by night and by day, arrived in Buffalo, early on Saturday evening. * * * I was well satisfied with the Buffalo congregation. * * The house was well filled; not crowded, for the weather was hottest of the hot; and many of the people are absent. * * A more attentive congregation, I never preached to: every thing appeared orderly and decent; a good organ, very fairly played, and one female voice in the choir, superior to any which we often hear in our Boston churches. One finds it hard to persuade himself that he is out of Massachussets; the appearance of the peo ple, the order of the services, Greenwood's hymn-book, every thing but sitting down in prayer, reminds one of home and so far, there is no touch of the real west. Mr. Hosmer's society shows the importance of organizing a Unitarian church in every growing place where two or three Unitarians can be found. They began in Buffalo with six; they have now sixty times six; and command * where. respect and exert influence every July 2.-A week ago yesterday, I preached in Buffalo for the second time, Mr. Hosmer having previously taken his departure for Erie. The congregation was nearly the same as the Sunday before, containing a very large proportion of young men, and the principal people, as

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