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such errors, to aim at the reformation of them; and, when all or any of the Spiritual Pastors of such a Church obstinately stood out against reform, to throw off their subjection to persons so abusing their sacred office, and, at all events, reform themselves as they best could. It is as plain a duty for men so circumstanced to obey their Heavenly Master, and forsake those who have apostatized from Him, as it would be for the loyal portion of a garrison of soldiers to revolt from a general who had turned traitor to his King, and was betraying the city into the enemy's hands. So far from being rebellious subjects in thus revolting, they would be guilty of rebellion if they did not.

In like manner, the very circumstances in which such a Body of reformers, as I have been alluding to, are placed, confer on them that independence which they would have been unjustifiable in assuming wantonly. The right is bestowed, and the duty imposed on them, of separation from the unreformed, which, under opposite circumstances, would have been schismatical. They are authorized, and bound, by the very nature of their situation, either to subsist as a distinct Community, or to join some other Church; even as the vitality which Nature has

An instance of this was very recently afforded by the people of Zillerthal, in the Austrian dominions; who, being

conferred on a scion of a tree, enables it, when cut off from the parent-stock, either to push forth fresh roots of its own, or to unite, as a graft, with the stock of some kindred tree.

suitable for

ous seced

ers.

It is for men so circumstanced to do their best Conduct according to their own deliberate judgment, to conscientimeet their difficulties, to supply their deficiencies, and to avail themselves of whatever advantages may lie within their reach. If they have among their number, Christian Ministers of several Orders, or of one Order,-if they can obtain a supply of such from some other sound Church,— or if they can unite themselves to such a Church with advantage to the great ultimate objects for which Churches were originally instituted,-all these are advantages not to be lightly thrown away. But the unavoidable absence of any of these advantages, not only is not to be imputed to them as a matter of blame, but, by imposing the necessity, creates the right, and the duty, of supplying their deficiencies as they best can. Much as they may regret being driven to the alternative, they ought not to hesitate in their decision, when their choice lies between ad

deliberately convinced of the errors of the Church in which they had been brought up, underwent, in consequence of their refusal of compliance, a long series of vexatious persecution, and ultimately forsook their home, and found refuge and freedom of conscience in the territory of Prussia.

Mistakes to be guarded

herence to the human Governors of a Church, and to its Divine Master:-between "the form of godliness, and the power thereof;"-between the means and the end;-between unbroken apostolical succession of individuals, and uncorrupted Gospel principles.

§ 37. Persons so situated ought to be on their against by guard against two opposite mistakes: the one when com- is, to underrate the privileges of a Christian separation. Community, by holding themselves altogether

Reformers

pelled to

debarred from the exercise of such powers as naturally and essentially belong to every Community; the other mistake is to imagine that whatever they have an undoubted right to do, they would necessarily be right in doing. In no other subject perhaps would such a confusion of thought be likely to arise, as is implied by the confounding together of things so different as these two. Although the legislature (as I have above remarked) has an undoubted right to pass, or to reject, any Bill, a man would be deemed insane who should thence infer that they are equally right in doing either the one or the other. So also the Governors of a Church are left, in respect of ordinances and regulations not prescribed or forbidden in Scripture, to their own judgment; but they are bound to act according to the best of their judgment. What is left to their

discretion is not therefore left to their caprice; nor are they to regard every point that is not absolutely essential, as therefore absolutely indifferent.

They have an undoubted right, according to the principles I have been endeavouring to establish, to appoint such Orders of Christian Ministers, and to allot to each such functions, as they judge most conducive to the great ends of the Society: they may assign to the whole, or to a portion of these, the office of ordaining others as their successors; they may appoint one superintendent of the rest, or several; under the title of Patriarch, Archbishop, Bishop, Moderator, or any other that they may prefer; they may make the appointment of them for life, or for a limited period, by election, or by rotation, with a greater, or a less extensive, jurisdiction; and they have a similar discretionary power with respect to Liturgies, Festivals, Ceremonies, and whatever else is left at large in the Scriptures.

discretion.

Now to infer that all possible determinations Province of of all these and similar points, would be equally expedient, and equally wise, and good, would be an absurdity so gross that in no other case not connected with religion, would men need even to be warned against it. In fact, it would go to do away the very existence of any such attri

butes as "wisdom,"—"prudence,"—"discretion,”

"judgment," &c. altogether: for there is evidently no room for the exercise of them in matters not left to our choice, and in which the course we are to pursue is decided for us, and distinctly marked out, by a higher Authority; nor again is there any room for them in matters where there is not a right and a wrong,-a better and a worse; and where the decision is a matter of total indifference; as in the choice between two similar sheets of paper to begin writing on, when both are lying within one's reach. The sole province of prudent and cautious deliberation is in cases which are left to our decision, and in which we may make a better or a worse decision. And yet I should not wonder if some persons were to take for granted that any one who does not presume at once to exclude from the Gospelcovenant all professed Christians who do not strictly conform to what we regard as the purest primitive practice, and to deny altogether the validity of all their Ordinances, must, as a matter of course, place exactly on a level a system founded on the most diligent, sober, and deliberate inquiry after ancient and well-tried models, and the most rash, ill-advised, and fanciful innovations that ever were devised by ignorance or presumption. As well might one infer from the Apostle's declaration that "the Powers that be

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