which we are now unhappily surrounded, Christianity teaches us to restore a brother whom we know, or think to be in error, in the spirit of meekness; or should it not be in our power so to do, at least to look upon him with an eye of charity; or, as Erasmus expresses himself, with an evangelical eye; leaving all bitterness and rancour behind us, and doing that upon sin in ourselves, which we cannot do upon error in others. At the same time great care must be taken that charity towards what may be error in others, does not degenerate into indifference to the cause in which we ourselves are professedly engaged; remembering always, that however various the opinions about religion may be, there can be but one religious truth. That truth is to be found in the Bible, and is contained in that doctrine which the primitive Christians originally received from the Apostles, in which they continued stedfast; the same doctrine which, thanks be to God, is now to be found in the Church of England.

That heresies should prevail among Christians ought, as it has been already observed,

observed, to be no subject for surprize, because we have been forewarned, that thus it must be. In fact heresies sprung up in the infancy of the Church, and will continue with the Church even unto its old age: even until that awful period when the divine Head of the Church, at his second coming, shall himself cleanse it from all the corruption which it may have contracted during its progress in this world; "casting out of it every thing that "defileth, that worketh abomination, or "maketh a lie." When every Christian Professor, who has continued stedfast in the faith, and adorned that faith by his practice, shall be finally accepted through the merits of that Saviour, who "died for "him, and rose again for his justification."

DISCOURSE VIII.

ACTS 11. 42.

And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles' Doctrine and Fellowship, and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers.

THE object of my last Discourse was to point out the propriety, I may say the necessity of conforming ourselves to the divine plan in the affairs of religion, so far as that plan is capable of being ascertained by the revelation of the divine will, on the principle which, it is, presumed, will not be controverted; that God must at all times be best pleased with a service, which has received the sanction of his own appointment.

To promote this object, I set before

you

you, in the words of the text, a picture of the primitive Church, as it originally existed under the immediate superintendance of the Apostles, at a time when the members of it "continued stedfastly in "the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, "and in breaking of bread and in "prayers." This picture of primitive order, drawn from the Apostles and first Christians, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, it was observed to you, the Church of Christ ought, so far as may be, to present to the world in every stage of its progress. For admitting Jesus Christ, who purchased the Church with his blood, to have been the founder of it; that the form of this Church was laid down by the Apostles under the direction of the Holy Spirit; that the divine Head of the Church promised to be with the Apostles and their successors to the end of the world; and that no revelation subsequent to the days of the Apostles has been made to authorize a departure from their plan; it should seem to follow from the premises, that this Church of Christ should, so far at least as circumstances will permit, continue to be

the

the same regular, organized, spiritual society it originally was.

From this admission, to which, it is presumed, every unbiassed reader of the Bible must subscribe, the conclusion will be, that it is not more the duty, than it is for the spiritual advantage of every Christian Professor to be admitted into the communion of this church; because, on the ground, that God doeth nothing in vain, it is not to be supposed that he would have instituted a Church on earth, if it were a matter of indifference whether Christians became members of it or not; or that he would have provided for his Church sacramental means of grace for the benefit of its members, if the spiritual concerns of Christians might have been carried on without them, as well as with them. For, as we are saved by grace through faith, and the true faith can be but one, it must be a matter, not of indifference, but of primary importance to possess this true faith. Whilst to preserve this faith in the world constituted one principal object in the institution of the Church.

From