sed of him; but meekness, humility, and gentleness, those whom he blesses.

Let us then lay fast hold of his blessing; and that we may know how it is to be obtained, let us consider what has taken place from the beginning. Was not Abraham blessed, because through faith he wrought righteousness? Isaac also, in the confident persuasion of what was to happen, cheerfully yielded himself a sacrifice. These were greatly honoured, not for their own sakes, or on account of their works, or the righteousness which they had wrought, but through the will of God: and we, in like manner, being called by his will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, neither by our wisdom, knowledge, nor piety, nor even by those works which we have performed in holiness of heart; but by that faith, whereby the Almighty has justified all men from the beginning.

But shall we, on this account, my brethren, be slothful to perform good works, and forsake the law of love? God forbid! Let us unweariedly fulfil his will, and with all our powers, work the work of righteousness. The faithful labourer receives the bread of his labour; but the indolent and remiss cannot meet the eye of their employer. We must, therefore, not be slothful in the performance of any good work. Let us be subject to his will, as the angels are, and being gathered together with one heart, as well as in one place, let us, with one accord, earnestly cry unto him, that we may be made partakers of his glorious promises.

Beloved, how wonderful are the gifts of God! The hope of immortal life! glory begun in righteousness! assured faith! and holy moderation! These are the effects of his bounty which we discern and feel even now; but the excellency and extent of those things which are prepared for them that wait for him in faith and patience, God only knoweth. In this way, therefore, we have found Jesus Christ our Saviour, the High Priest of our oblations, and helper of our weakness: by him, who is the brightness of the Divine Majesty, are our minds opened: by him are our darkened understandings enlightened: by him we enjoy the knowledge of immortality; while his enemies, even the wicked who oppose their own wills to the will of God, shall be made his footstool.

Let us also, in our warfare as christians, imitate the order and discipline of soldiers in an army, considering that all are not generals, or tribunes, or centurions, but to every one a station is appointed by the commander, and in that station he remaineth. The great cannot subsist without the little, nor the little without

the great. Let, therefore, the body of Christ be preserved and united in us; let every one be subject to his neighbour in charity, in that station wherein he is placed. Let not the strong contemn the weak; and let the weak pay respect to the strong. The rich ought to be bountiful to the poor; and the poor ought to bless God for having raised up for him a benefactor. The wise ought to prove his wisdom, not by words, but by good works. The humble ought to leave it to another to praise him; and the chaste , ought not to be high-minded, knowing from whom he hath received the gift of continence. Let us, in short, consider who and what we are, and how he who formed us, prevented us with his benefits even before we were born. In obedience to his commands, every thing ought to be done in due order; our oblations ought to be made, and our religious offices performed, at stated and regular seasons, as well as at the places, and by the persons whom he, by his authority, hath appointed; that being thus done according to his will, they may be acceptable to him. Moreover, to the high priest, by the levitical law, are assigned his peculiar functions; and the priests and levites each fill their proper stations; but the layman is to confine himself to such things as are commanded to laymen. The appointed sacrifices, also, are only offered at Jerusalem; and they who transgress this order, shall die the death. But, my brethren, the greater is your knowledge, the greater also is your danger, if ye transgress.

Jesus Christ was sent by God to preach the gospel, the apos tles by Christ, and both according to the will of God. When, therefore, they went forth and preached the word in provinces and cities, they ordained the first-fruits of their ministry, after having proved them by the spirit, to be bishops and deacons over such as should believe. Our apostles likewise, being informed beforehand by our Lord Jesus Christ, foresaw that strife would arise respecting the name and office of bishops, for which reason they made the appointments already mentioned, and afterwards laid down a rule for the succession, that when they themselves should fall asleep, other approved men might follow in their office and ministry. Wherefore we do not think that such as were appointed by them, or other chosen men, with the consent and approbation of the whole church, and who have exercised their ministry blamelessly, humble, gently, and disinterestedly, can be justly deprived of their office. It would be no small sin in us to do so. But happy are those presbyters who are already departed in peace and joy, and have no longer any fear of such a deposition as ye have inflicted upon some pious and blameless

ministers who are yet alive. Ye are, indeed, contentious brethren, and zealous about things which belong not to salvation. But search the scriptures, which are the true words of the holy spirit: nothing perverse or unjust is written there. There you will not find that righteous men were ever cast off or persecuted by holy men, but by the wicked and unjust. But be ye joined to the innocent and the righteous, for they are the elect of God. Why do wrath, contentions, schisms, and warfare, rage among you? Have we not one God and one Christ? Is not one spirit of grace poured out upon our hearts? And have we not one calling in Christ? Why then do we rend in pieces the members of his body? nay, why do we stir up sedition against our own body? forgetting, in our madness, that we are members one of another? Your schism hath subverted the faith of many; it hath caused that of many to totter; it hath given grief to all of us; and yet you allow it to continue.

Who among you has a generous and tender heart? who is endued with compassion and love? Let him say, if these contentions and these schisms be on my account, I will depart whithersoever you will, only let the flock of Christ continue in peace under its appointed ministers.

Let us pray, likewise, for those who have fallen into sin, that they may be renewed in meekness and lowliness of mind, that se they may submit, not to us, but to the will of God. Let us, also, revive the spirit of discipline which used to give no offence, for reproof is profitable to us, and it unites us to the will of God. And ye who have caused this sedition, repent and submit yourselves to your presbyters, bending the knees of your hearts; laying aside pride and arrogance; for it is better for you to be little, but approved in the fold of Christ; than to be high-minded, and to be cast out.

Now may the all-seeing God, the ruler of our spirits, and the Lord of all flesh, who hath chosen our Lord Jesus Christ, and us through him, to be his peculiar people, grant to every soul which calleth upon his glorious name, faith, fear, peace, patience, longsuffering, temperance, holiness, and wisdom, through our great Master and high priest, Jesus Christ, through whom be unto him all glory, majesty, power, and honour, both now and ever. Amen.

RELIGIOUS AND MORAL DISCUSSIONS.

The following communication has been received from a respectable clergyman living in the western part of this state.

OBSERVATIONS RELATIVE TO MODERN CATHOLICISM.

MR. EDITOR,

I HAVE taken up my pen under the discouraging influence of the idea, that my sentiments on this interesting subject are too unpopular, with a number of professing christians, to obtain a favourable reception. But convinced, that Truth disdains the trembling advocate, who degrades her cause, by a timorous, freezing, sceptical process, I shall express the sentiments of my head and heart, with that unreserved and honest freedom which becomes a man conscious of the integrity of the motives by which his conduct is governed.

When we pass in review the histories of the christian church, candour constrains us to assent to the lamentable truth, written in blood, that as soon as the members of any sect or denomination of christians obtained the ascendancy, so far as to be able to enlist the civil government on their side, they had their own denomination established, under the plausible idea of establishing the true religion, and all other christians were pronounced hereticks. Bigotry, unrelenting tyrant, thirsting for blood, and hostile to God and genuine christianity, ascended from the gloomy caverns of barbarous Ignorance, and assuming the garb of zeal for true religion, with a brow of brass and an heart of adamant, demanded that hecatombs of supposed or real hereticks should be immolated on her altars, for daring to see with their own eyes in matters of religion. Nor were her sanguinary commands disobeyed; for too many of the christians of those days, in direct opposition to the precepts, to the spirit, and to the temper of the christian religion, appear to have been stupid enough to believe, that their service was never so acceptable to the Prince of Peace, as when their offerings on his altar, were soaked in heretical blood mingled with the tears of the widow and the fatherless. And it is worthy of observation, that as different denominations predominated alternately, and the ruling party always claimed the exclusive privilege of being infallibly orthodox, it frequently happened, that those persons were persecuted as hereticks, who had formerly persecuted others under the same appellation. The truth is, that all parties agreed that the true religion ought to be established, and that those persons who did not conform to the esta VOL. II.

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blished system, were to be considered as hereticks, and punished as such by the civil magistrate. And as it was natural to expect, that every denomination would consider their religion to be the true one, and endeavour to have it established as such, then, whatever the tenets of the governing denomination were, whether true or false, persecution on a higher or a lower scale, followed as a thing of course; and frequently men were murdered for heretical opinions, in one country, whose religious tenets were established as orthodox in another. Under the influence of these principles, as might have been expected, from the operations of the depravity of human nature, error was more frequently established than truth, and thousands of the best of christians were butchered as hereticks. But Persecution, that arch demon, which stained the throne and the altar with human blood, debasing human nature and the christian name to the lowest point of degradation, unable to bear the genuine light of revelation and reason, and anticipating the complete overthrow of civil and religious tyranny, has fled to the infernal regions; while the few remaining enemies of religious toleration, lament her absence and sigh for her return. The great majority of christians are at length convinced, that the benevolent author of christianity, who prayed for his murderers on his cross, saying, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do," has not required human sacrifices to atone for heresy, nor instituted torture and murder, as ordinances for the conviction and conversion of hereticks. Therefore they now believe, that as God exercises no exclusive providence towards any one denomination of christians in his dominions, but extends his protection to all, civil government ought to profit by his example, and extend protection to all denominations within its bounds, who are obedient to the laws, leaving their errors in opinion to be corrected, by reason, argument and divine grace. This pleasing revolution in the human mind and conduct, so consistent with humanity and the spirit of the christian religion, has thrown Bigotry into convulsions; but, consistent with herself in the agonies of death, she continues to demand the blood of hereticks and protest against toleration.

Sweet to the taste and soothing to the heart of man, is the enjoyment of civil and religious liberty. Under their benign influence, the powers of the human mind are developed and acquire their proper tone: conscience finds her long lost rights restored, feels her native dignity, looks up to God as her only Lord and lawgiver, and beholds with indignant contempt, the men who ignobly wish to chain her to the footstool of any human tribunal.