A
GLANCE
at TH9
HISTORY
OF
CHRISTIANITY,
AND t>F
ENGLISH
NONCONFORMITY.
BY J. BICHENO, H- A!
j^etoburv :
PRINTED BY B. FULLER.
>RD SOLD BY JOHNSON, ST. PAUL’S CHURCH YARD* RNOTTjf LOMBARD STREET ; MATTHEWS, STRAND, LONDON; F U !יי LER, NEWBURY ; SNARE, AND RUSHER, READING; COTTLE, JAMES, AND READ, BRISTOL״, HAZARD,
BAT H ; NICHOLSON, CAMBRIDGE *, OGLE, EDINBURGH; BRASH, AND REID,
GLASGOW; LA NGD ON, LEEDS;
MARCH, NORWICH JAND BELCHER, BIR MIN G-HAM. 1798.
Price 3d. or as. 6d. per dozen.
ADVERTISEMENT.
Newbury, June 14 1798.
/ ¿7m Tather at a loss what to say about the fub-iicatton of the following pages. I dislike apologies on such occa-sions, and, yet, / ¿?7/7 not sure but that some are necessary.
The following thoughts were delivered on Friday lasty (three or four sh:!rt sentences and the notes excepted) at the setting apart of Mr. John Holloway 'to thepastaral office, over a con-gregation of frattHtcmt âis'seriierï, at Reacting. The intcrhcu-tory part is omitted.
1 publish, more to shew respect-to my friends, than to gratify private inclination ; and submit to their opinions rather than my own convictions.
In answer to my objections, S07ne hâve said, “ 7hough it is t( but a glance, yet it 7nay be useful, and it is sometimes pleasant €t ft fraWl post through a country *tibe hüvi before explore¿?—* AMttheñ urged its brevity as à principal recommendation. “ Many of us" said they, “have not money to buy large booh; u and most of us, lefs time to read them : at any rate it ?nay be ufe-u fui to our jpftng] eople, andferve to fir up attention to a fub-u jeci which, though of no Jmall importancefor chrif ianstole u well acquainted with,yet, of late, has been too much neglected.
It ??¡ay excite to the reading of more elaborate productions."
To afford help to any, and to contribute one argument, or to awaken one idea, which may lead the attention of chrijlidns to *\hofe enquiries with which the peace andprofperity of Chrish kingdom are fo nearly connected; efpecially the attention of our children, whom we are concerned to fee, ftrf fincere chrijlians, ard, next to that, enlightened, conscientious diffénters, would yield to my Heart the pu ref plcafure.
That my Friends may not be mifaken in their expect a-tion ; and that the rijing generation may i??1itatc the vtr-tues of their anee fors, whofe memory is fweet in all our churches} is the ¿írdent pzayer tf
,φ BICHE NO*
A
GLANC E, etc,
WHEN the passover was instituted, and com-manded to be observed for an ordinance to ¿1e people of Israel, and to their sons, for ever, tire |nj lili Clio 11 of Moses was, And it skull come to pass^, ighen your children shall say unto you¡ What mean ye by this service ? that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses.*
The excellence of every religious observance is,, that it hath the authority of God, and can be traced up to his appointment; and every Christian ought to be tibie to give a reason, grounded on God’s word, for all his religious services. Do the young people of this assembly, or,do any, who are strangers to our praaices, enquire, What mean ■ye by this service ? Why do you dissent from the religious establishment of the country in which you live : and, in the ordination of youi ministers, follow a practice so different from that which generally prevails ? Be assured we do not do it on íli״ht and trifling grounds, and for the salce of separad-on! I hope we are able to give good reasons ·for our conduct, and to justify ourselves against the chai ge■ of schism, from the laws'and testimonies of Jesus Christ, the example of the first Christians, and of the best of men in succeeding generations.t
*fo si¡. 26, 27.	+ Tcogoods Letters, r, 87—90.
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We cannot now enter, at large, into these enquiries, nor descend to particulars ; but must confine ourselves to a few cursorary hints, relative to the origin of our dissenting churches, arid the reasons for our order.—A glance at the history of Christianity is necessary.
Our blessed Lord having died for our sins, and rose again for our justification, s^id to his disciples, just be-fore his ascension to the right hand of his Father, All power is given unto me in heaven, and in earth. Go ye> therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them m th$ name of the Fatherland of the Sonxand of the Holy Ghost ; teaching them to observe all thingswhatsoever I have com-״ manded you.* And the Apostle P*ául declares, repecu ing him, that The Father of Glory hath put all things Under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the churchf.
In the church of Christ there is no other sovereign, or lawgiver, but himself. To him, in all matters of religion and conscience, are his disciples subject, and to him, at his second coming, must all give ah ac-count. This should deeply impress, and affefï, every Christians mind.—Jesus Christ is sovereign in his church, and in all spiritual concerns. None sharç with him either imhis legislative or his judicial autho-rity, and at his bar must I stand, to answer for my conduâ as a subject of his kingdom.
But, is Jesus Christ a king > and did he again and again, assert his supreme and sole authority over his churçh ? that his disciples by misunderstanding the nature of his kingdom, might not be led into fatal1 mistakes, he, before his departure from the earth, dropped some important hints for the regulation of their conduct. My kingdom, said lie, is not of tkii world.—Render unto Çæsar, the things .which arç Casar9 s ; and unto God, the things which are God's.—י־ AH that take the sword shall perish with the sword.%
* Matt, xxviii. 18—20	+ Eph. i; jsa*
J Joha xviiii 36, Matt, xxü» 2ג· xxvi. 52,
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. !,He Âpostîës thoroughly understood their master^ an¿ ¿uglit and practised accordingly. In civil matters, they taught submission to the civil magistrale; and en*״ joined Christians to render uriio all tfieir dues ; Tributé to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.* With forms of government, aud politicál affairs, they did not, as the apostles of Christ, at all intermeddle. This was np part of their special mission ; but all these thing¿ if tit left to the will and wisdom of men; only teachings them to owe no man any thing but to love one anotherfc ¿id to wall worthy of the vocation wherewith the tyere called, with all lowliness and meekness, with tong suffering, forbearing one another in love ; endeavour-, ing to keep the unity of the spirit in the fond of peace.£ Bijit in all things* pertaining to religion and conscience, they professé^ and taught, and practised, indepen-deríce on all Wit God, ánd their language was, We ought ¿b abey God'rather than men,§ Whatever the pleasure' of the emperors, and governors, or other magistrates ipight be, and whatever the laws, ànd customs, or es-‘ tábíished religions of the countries, in which they re-sided, or sojourned ; or whatever hazards they might τμη, whatever losses sustain, and sufferings endure, they still adhered to that great principle of liberty which they had learned from Christ, Call no man your father Upon the earth, for one is your Father who is in hea-ven. Neither be ye called masters; for one is your Master, even Christ.\
Happy would it have been if all that have assumsed the Christian name had trod in their steps, and remem-bered that the kingdom of Christ is not of this world¿ arid that the subjects of it should be actuated by a very different spirit from that which influences the princes of the. gentiles** But the my fiery of iniquity soon be-j*ah to work. The Apofile Paul complained of it irv
*׳ Rom. xiii. ך. + Rom, xiii 8. ΐ pph. iy, 1—3
$ Acis V. 29, β Mau, xxiii. 9; 10.	** Itfau. xx· 25*
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days; but the man of sin was not yet revealed, in p§*-^ ftâion, till some ages afterward,* In the first ages of Christianity,all the churches of Christ were independent; apdeach one chose its own pastor or bishop, and offir cers, and regulated its own concerns ; owning no author* ity in spiritual and ecclesiastical affairs, but that of Jesus Christ. Their union was only a union of principles, and Jove ; not of worldly policy, or magisterial coercion· The truth of this all history attests.f In those days no ©ne minister pretended to more authority than another. Christ was their master and all they were brethren.
But, early in the fourth century, when the roman em* perors became Christians, or professed to be so, and the church enjoyed the smiles of the court; and peace, and riches, and honours, followed, then its original simplri city and liberty soon vanished and gave place to pride, ambition, unprofitable ceremonies and vain pomp—in a word, to conformity to the world and pagan supe1> etitions. To facilitate the conversion of the heathen nations, and to make the new yoke, imposed by thç emperors, sit as easy as imposition would allow, christi-anity was assimilated, as much as possible, to their
* 2 Thess. ii. 3—12.
+ Mosheim, (though he endeavors to apologize for modern innova-lions) says, 44 In those early times every chrisuan church consisted of 44 the people, their leaders, and the ministers and deacons—The people βί were undoubtedly the first in authority ; for the apostles shewed, by-44 their own example, that nothing of moment was to be carried on, or 44determined, without the consent of the assembly (Acts 15. vi. 3·
44 xv. 4. xxi. 2 2.) and such a method was both prudent and necessaiy 44 in those early times.”
It was therefore the assembly of the people which chose their owa 44 rulers and teachers, or received them, by a free and authoritative con״(
44 sent, when recommended by others. The same people rejected or 44 confirmed, by their suHrages, the laws that were proposed, by 44 their rulers, to the assembly.” Voh i. p. 80. 8vo. ea. 1774· *yce also p. 145.
Dupin (a catholic) speaking of the three first centuries, says of the cjmstians of those limes. 44 They were very careful to chuse ministers 44 whose life and manners were blameless. Alter the death of those wli·־
44 were appointed by the apostiesj the people chose tiicau” Y oh ii. p. 7 3« *¿**Ο. td.יסגןג
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·pagan prejudices; and we have seen what a christi-[ànity they fabricated ; and the bloody page of history informs us what sort of Christians the nations haVe been.*
The bishops or pastors, were prefered according to the dignity of the cities in which they resided, and lienee the bishops of Rome and Constantinople (which *VaS now become an imperial residence and the rival of Rome) had á long and violent contention for pré« ;Cminence.t The bishop of Rome prevailed, especl-ally in these western parts, and róse from one degree of power and authority to another, till he assumed uni vet -sal dominion in church and state; and became (after the* ,dissolution of the western empire, the fall of the Ro-,man Cæsars in 4 7 6, and the after redtiffion of Italy tb a province) that man of sin, foretold by the apostle Paul, that sitteth in the temple of God, shewing him-'self that he is a.g0a;J for now he that had “let,״ and retarded, his rise, was M taken out of the way.”$
Now tyranny and corruption, idolatry and super-stition universally prevailed, and all the kingdoms of Europe, which the barbarous nations had erected 0« the ruins of the western empire, gave their power ta ׳the beast. |[ Bloody laws were cnafted to suppress all freedom of enquiry and liberty of worship.** Monkery
* Mosheim vol. i. p. 277, 289, 311, 319. i Dupin vol. ii. p. 163. Moslicim voL i. p. 288, 370.	+ % Thess#
ii. 3-12 y Piíífendorf, introd. vol. i. p. 404. Mosheim vol. i« p. 243, 286.	I¡ Rev. xvii. 13.
** Justinian Code. Justinian in the beginning of his reign (a. n. $33׳) published an edict concerning lus failli, and inade u even banish-ment from the roman territory for any to dare to dissent from it. Ί his faith was acknowledged by the pope to be the only true faith, Ί he pains and penalties of this law, have been the model of later Acts of Uniformity, -and Test latos, “ All, whether Jews, Gentiles, or Christians, who did *£ not, within three months, embrace and profess the catholic faith, were « declared infamous, and as such, excluded from all employments, civil and military ; rendered incapable of leaving any thing by will, and **their estates confiscated, whether real or personal.״ Bower's livrai the Popes, vol, ii. p. 442, Illustrat, of Proph, vol, ii. p* 3%.
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overran the earth, and superstition extended itself on every side. Religion lay expiring under a motley arid enormous heap of superstitious inventions, and had neither the courage, nor the force, to raise her head, , or to display her pativc charms*- to a darkened and de-
Judcd world--------*The Christians of the seventh century,
more than those that vent before them, multiplied the objefts of their devotion, and paid divine homage to the pretended remains of the cross, to the images of thç saints, and to dead mens bones ; and in the year 787 idolatry was firmly established by the solemn de-cree of the second council of Nice.*
The business of professing Christians was now, not to search the scriptures, and walk according to this rule, tut to send to Rome to learn the mind of the pope, and his conclave, and to obey the bulls and edicts of this man of sin, that had set himselF up for the vicar of Christ, and the vicegerent of God. Black ,dark-ness succeeded, and, for some centuries, we scarcely discern a ray^>f light.t The priests were every thing, and the people nothing. All f reedom of enquiry and all liberty of worship, and of church government, were lost ; and the church, which bore the name of Christ, was become a deformed and ravenous monster,^ But, pod did not leave himself without witnesses. Here and there, there were a Few who did not worship the beast ; particularly the Vaudois in the valleys of Pied-mont, j But these could hardly be called a visible church. They were hid. The temple was shut,
* Dupin, vol. ii. p. 309—311. Mosheim, vol ii. p. 20, 93.
It was in the eighth century that the bishops of Rome'were exalted, by the kings of France, to the rank of temporal princes. France set them up ; France, all along, has been their principal champion ; and f ranee has pulled them down ! ! !
+ “ Ignorance, vice and irregularity prevailed in the greater part of the world. It is true, there have been disorders in all ages ·, but it <·׳ cannot be said with any shew of truth, that they were equal to those « of the tenth century—that ihey^. spread so far or were so universal,׳¡ Dupin Voh id. p. 55<
1 Rev, xiii, t1~־־g,	§ Mosheim vol, ii, p. 452,
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(Rev. xi. 1.2. 1g. xv. 5.) and the gentiles, the spti״
. rk>u&Christians, possessed the outward court, and none --could erfter the temple of God but by stealth.
״ But in the darkest ages there were a few to bear witness for the truth, and to die for Christ; and in the twelfth century the light began to increase, though but $lowly. Now the Waldenses and Albigenses, in the south of France and the north of Italy, began to spread that light, which the enemies of Christ could never ex-languish, although they slaughtered a million of its propagators.*
In the fourteenth century Wickliff rekindled the light of the Gospel in England, fie translated the Jiible into English; he denied the pope’s supremacy ; he condemned episcopacy as being a creature set ״by princes; he was for having minifters maintained t׳y the voluntary subscriptions of the people, and not by tythes ; and was against imposing prescribed forms of* . prayer, t
׳* Mofheimvol. il. p. 451-455. vbl. iii. p. 190, 272. Dupin vol. hi. p.112, 113, 139-141, 189-195. vol. IV. p. 58-60.
+ Moiheim vol. iii. p. 166—168. Neal's hili, Pu. vol. i. p. 2-4·׳ Crpfbey’s hill. Bapt. vol. i. p. 2-13.
It fhouKi be alió obferved that this bright and morning fiar of the Reformation, not Only denied the pope’s iupremacy, but was again ft ■ Uny perfon's ailuming the title and authority of being the. head of the jfhurck, afferting that it 15 blafphemy to call any, head of the (hurck, fcui J Lsus Christ; and that in the facrament of orders (as then cal-׳ led ) there ought to be only two degrees, firefyters or hijhops, and àki־-tons, I might, perhaps, be thought to have given too partial an account ·.of the opinions maintained by this eminent reformer, if I were to omit what has induced fome to conclude that, in the latter part of his life, at leail. he oppofed infant haptifm, and on account of which lie has beea efteemed, by fame as the Father of the en^hjh Baptifts.
Thomas Waldenfis, who reckons ihe errors of Wickliff to have been eighty, puts down his denial of infant baptil'm as one (De Bapt. Sac. Tit. 5. chap. 3.) and on this account calls him one of the seven heads which came oat of the bottomlefs pit, and fays “ That he ” (Wickliff ) **doth positively affe!t that children are not 10 be sacramentally baptized׳* Jfofe.pkViceeamjts reckons Wickliff among those who opposed infanibap-tifm (De Rit. Bapt. lib. ii. chap. 1.) According to Croibey he tang.1t' what {truck at ;he root of popijh infant bapiifm. and whai indeed 1ed י *!any ©f his admire!?¿ both m England and Inainuny, 10 1cnon1.ee die
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ίη the fifteenth century John Huss and Jeromé ôf Prague, bololy attacked the vices of the clergy, and bravely withstood the corruptions of Rome, and even xecommended in an open and public manner, the wri-tings and opinions of Wickliff*.
In the following age, what is called the great ref or-%nation broke forth, and many countries of Europe se-parated themselves from the communion of Rome. But, alas ! this was partial and very defective ; such as might have been expefîed from the darkness of the׳ times, and from the imperftftioiis, the situations, the *passions and interests Of the principal a'ftors in it. Those with whom the power lay, Were arbitrary princes, and dignified churchmen ; men brought up in darkness and tyranny, and whose eyes were not able, at once, to bear the full light. Our Henry the vm. by whom the Reformation was begun in this country, was govern־· ed by no principle of religion ; it was in resentment that he threw off the supremacy of the popey and assn-med it himself. This presumption created some sur-prise, and the clergy, especially, were ׳startled at the idea of a layman’s pretending to be the head of the Chuich, yet nevuti eless, both the convocation and parliament, in the )ear 1534, declared him to be the־ sole and supreme head ot the church of England¡ next and immediately under Christ ; and the power, which the pope had ioimcrly exercised, over the clergy and people of England, was transferred to the kingt.
In the next reign (Ed. vi.) the Reformation advan-
baptiim of infants altogether. He taught “ That wife men leave that
as impertinent which is not plainly exprtfTed in feripture”—44 H^t *4-thole are fools and prefumptuous which aflirm fuch infants not to be *4 laved, which die without baptilm.״ And he denied 44 Ί hat all fins are ‘* abohlhed 111 baptiim; that baptifm does not confer but only Cgnifics *4 grace, which was given before.״ Fuller’s church hifl. p. 301 133-־* A Λλ aid. Art. 35. Crofbey’s hill. Bapt. vol. i. p. 8-13. Mofheifl»׳ vol. iii. p. 166—168.	Burnet’s hiifi Reiomivol. 1. p. 23, !1°«
Real’s hilt. Pu vol. 1. p. 2-^4.
* Ivíoíh. vol. iii. p. 230. + Burûets htft. Reform vol. i. 136—44*״ Meal’s hdk Pu, vol, i. p, 7, 8, Toogood’s letters p. 29,
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ccd : but the sole authority of Christ in his Church, *Ad *the rights of conscience, were never acknowledged, but the contrary supported by the canons and articles of the church, and by acts of parliament. Some, indeed contended for these, and for farther reformation from popery, but all they met with was contempt and per-secution—In Elizabeth’s reign these were called puri-tms, and in later times they have been denominated Nonconformists and Dissenters.*
The first presbyterian church, in England, was ere6t-ed at Wandsworth, near London, in the year 1572-.+
The first independent, or congregational Church, in this country, was founded in the year 1616, of which Mr. Henry Jacob was chosen pastor. J Some of this Church being convinced that baptism was not to be administered to infants but to such only as professed feith in Christ, desired to be dismissed, and to be allow-* cd to form a distinft congregation* The Church agreeing to allow them this liberty, they parted it! a friendly manner, and, on Sept 12,. 1633, laid the. foundation of the first Baptist Church in England, ha·^ ving Mr. John Spilsbury for their pastor. $—At the present time there are, of the three denominations, in England, about 1500 churches, of which about 400 are of the Baptist denomination.
Cruel and bloody statutes have been ena&ed againft the advocates for farther reformation and for the right of private judgment.. Uniformity has been insisted on,
* Though the early Puritans were for a much greater reformation from popery than the court approved, and maintained the holy feriptures !0 be a ilanda.rd of difaplvie, as well as doctrine, yet, it mud be acknowledged they were, moil of them, for uniformity in their own way, and but few indeed, in tha¿ dawn of light, perceived the right of private judgment, nor was it ever acknowledged by any body of men, in this country, till the rife of our Independent and Baptiil Churches ; nor did even thefe advocates for toleration and. the rights of confcience extend their views, at firft, quite commenfurate with the liberty of the Gofpcl. ►—־The evidence^ of thefe rights has been as the morning light winch jhintth more and more unto the perfect day. Neal vol. i. p. 96׳ vol. iu Jr* 307, 212.	+ vol. i. 302.	J p. 47C#
^ Croibey vol»i. p. 147—149*
f η )
and many of our anceftors have suffered and died fo!n a !*ood conscience.■* In the days of Charlçs 11. (a. פ.♦; 1662) two thousand godly ministers, who could not subscribe to every word in the Prayer Book, and bend; the!r consciences to the tyranny of the times, werecaft out of the chui ch* and forced into dissent ; one from this town (Reading)׳Mr. Christ. Fowler, vicat of St, Mary’s; and more than 20 through this county· The lot of thesQ^. 2000 worthies was, that they and their followers were persecuted by statute after statute, till thousands of th& worthiest families in the kingdom were reduced to beg-gary and ruin.t
The principal reasons for the nonconformity ofi these Christian worthies, and of the dissenters of tha present times, may be reduced to. seven. 1. The frame and constitution of the established church, it being national. 2. The officers of it; many of whom the scriptures know nothing. 3. The mode of worship* 4. The CÇ1:!monies. 5. The terms of admission to membership, and to the ministry. 6> The choice of ministers; they being most of them imposed by stran-gers. Out of 9,2 84 parish churches 3845 are lay fees* 7. The discipline of the church. There are indeed, in the present day, two or three other reasons, which* although they are not general, are sometimes the oçca-sions of dissent, particularly among our respeftablQ friends the methodists, viz. the heterodoxy, or manen* tion, of some of the established clergy, and the immoral-ity of others. J
* In the year 1559 aP act was paTed, entitled "Άη act for the Uniformity of Common Prayer, and fervice in the church, and admi* nijlration of the jacraments. This itatute. which has been the occa-$;on of so much calamity to confciencious diHenters ; as well as a snans to many conformais ; may be feen at the beginninoj of every Common. Piayer Book.	r
+ ^eal voll. ii. p. 624, 632—636. Palmer’s introd. to Noncon. Γ·Γλή. p. 31—34. Burnet’s hift. of his own Times vol. i. p. 279.*
Î Idem p. 37— -59. Neal vol. ii. p. 663.	De Laune’s plea for
ih : oíoncon.’ Poogood’s letters. Ί kz feven reafons above, do not aj*. p ·* ן rally to ali the di (renters of *üiofe .imes ; especially die firft ; but t y vers certainly the predominant ones ; and are the reafons which, mu¿	oí the dilfeateis of the prefeat day, who know ן0ג
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|Tfte consequences of the act for the uniformity of pmmonprayers in 1662, by which so many godly mea Were cast out of the church, and of the other laws a-gainst dissenters, were dreadful to thousands of the most upright men. According to the best computation, the" dissenters suffered from nnevS, and in other ways, in the space of three years only, the loss of two million¿ pf property ; and such was the fury of their enemies tha¿ about §oaa of them perished in prison. Mr. Jeremy White collected the vfa?nes of 60,000 persons who suf-^red, on a rejigiqus account, between the years 1659 and 1689, the period of the glorious revolution; 5000 çf whom died in prison.* By that revolution, never
5> be forgotten^ and the toleration which followed, the issenters were delivered from the cruel persecutions ybich h^ad afl|ic;ed them for so long a time; and since which, a degree of religious liberty has been enjoyed, before unknown in this country : and our fathers have׳ proved that, in their dissent, they were actuated only hy a good conscience ; and I hope, and believe, that their children will always prove, by their reverence for the laws, and respect to lawtul authority, that it is not from a disloyal spirit, and in contempt of the civil pow-çv,or from impatience of restraint, that they dissent from the national establishment, and exercise a right by which no one can be injured, though bigots may be offended, but because they are persuaded that conscience, and alt things, purely of a religious nature, are subject to no jurisdiction but that of God ; and that, in these matters, *ibove all others, we are to obey God rather than men% pn pain of his awful displeasure,
4hing of their principles-A learned prelate in his charge to his cler-׳
fopn after the Birmingham riots in 1792, exclaimed againit a certain clafs of dilfenters, on account of their objection to ati religious eftabliihments. This objection is more general than his laid-.!hip fuppofes; but the conclufion ought to be the direct oppofite of that Which his fears have fuggefled. The prevalence of this fentiment, moll certainly makes modern dilfenters lel$ dangerous to, episcopacy, than the ·id prefbyterians, who ,were zealous for the ellabli 111 ment of their own fyllein. They who wifh ill to a religious feet, may wiih its eílabliííi— *nent. It may flourilh for awhile, and look fair, W, it contains in ifo ywls the principles of corruption, and death* *Neal v* ii j>. 757-760,
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Ο tbftt the chinch of Christ had been as happy in all other countries, as, for this last century, it has been in this ! But, alas ! the period of our release was the beginning of new sorrows to our brethren in most of the neighbouring countries*. We cannot recollect their sufferings without anguish ! The wild beasts of the forest have laid waste that beautiful vine that had taken deep root in many of the most populous coun-tries of Europe ! Tens of thousands—we might say hundreds of thousands—have suffered and bled, in France, in Germany, in Savoy, in Piedmont, and in other countries ; and all that we have been able to do, has been to weep over their sufferings, and cry, How longi 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge, and avenge the blood of thy servants, on them that dwell M the earth /+
Yes, God will hear the cry of his people, and the groans of his Israel in Egypt, and remember his cove*.
nant !----“But of the times and the seasons, brethren,
ye need not that I should say any thing ; for ye your selves know perfeBly that the day of the Lords vengeance, on these enemies of his church, so cometh as a thief in the night ; for when they shall say peace, and safety ; theft sudden destruBion cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.—watch! —again I say unto you, watch !—the night is fat spent ; the day is at hand\.
My brethren, you have heard what sort of a king-dom Christs is, and what the principles and conduft, of the first Christians were. We have hastily trace¿ the corruptions of Christianity; the progress of the grand apostacy, and of the reformation. This refor-״ !nation originated from Christians assuming the right of searching the scriptures, and of judging for themselves!
* Moilieim vol. iv. p. 484—48g.	+ Rev. vi. 10.
J i Thefs, v. 1—3. Rom. xiii. 12. Dan. vii. 23—26. Rev. xi. xii 3, 17—ig. xiii. 5—10. xvi—xix.- Chriftians! we liveinawful times! awake, and give yourfelves- unto prayer—Let ydur loins be girded a-bout, and your lights burning ; and ye y our film hki unto men tjrt quit fir tkir Lord, Luke *ii, 3§, 36«
< -fs to the mind of Christ taught in them# \Ve claim the same right, and being persuaded that it is the Bounden duty, of every Christian, to conform to the mi«d of Christ, the directions of the New Testament, without regard to general practice, or human laws, we aim at as near a conformity to the perfect pattern which our Lord and his Apostles have given us, as we possi-bly can, and are therefore obliged to dissent from ,many of our fellow Christians, whom we nevertheless love and honour ; and, espescially from national esta-biishments because we think that, in them, an autho-rity is assumed, at once injurious to the authority of Jesus Christ, and subversive of Christian liberty ; and in many respeCts, doctrines and ceremonies are imposed and an order of things inforced, which, we judge to be by no means consistent with the New Testament.
What do we learn from the New Testament respeS-inga Gospel church ? We certainly repd of no national churches, made up of the mass of the people. They were made up of a separated, peculiar people*. They were voluntary societies, formed by mutual agreement· Hence we read, And all the believers were together—י tilth one accord■*—they had one hope of their calling9 one Lord, one faith, one baptism ; and were all made to drink into one spirit. We read of all the churches of the saints ; of the churches of Judea ; of the church־ in the house oj A quila, and Priscilla, and of the churches throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria ; all of which were voluntary societies of persons believing in Christ, and associating for their mutual convenience and edifi-cation. J
These churches were distinguished from the civil'so* cieties of the world, by their spiritual nature, end9 and
* See the 19th Art. of the church of England, “ The vifible church * of C hriil is a congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure word God is preached, and the facraments be duly miniftered,*״ etc.
+ Acts 11. i. Eph. iv. 4, 5. 1 Cor. xii, 13. xiv; 33. Gal. i. 22· Acu ix. 31. Rom. xvi. 5. Col. iv. 13:
Ί See the venerable Mr. ,turner's Compendium of Social Religion) ebap 2. A book that 1 could wflh to be ia the hands of every chrillira#
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design* The professed design of the members, was id come out from among the wicked, and be separate ; hot to be conformed to the world; but transformed ; a holy nation, a peculiar people, ¿ealous of good works. The business, and privileges of thesé churches, were all of a spiritual nature. And whilst the business of civil society relates only to the temporal concerns of men ; that of the churches of Christ, has respeft Only, to their spiritual concerns. The kingdom of Christ is neither opposed to, nor in connexion with, the kingdoms of the world; but is opposed to the kingdom of darkness, the moral polutions and wickedness of men* and the power of him that worketh in the children of disobedi-ence. All that the civil magistrate has to dó here, is to proteft men in the peaceable exercise of their rights.
The chief ends of church fellowship, are the preser-vationofthe faith, purity and worship of the Gospel; the enjoyment and support of religious ordinances, according to the appointment of Christ, for thé con-version of sinners, and the edification of believers.
Hence the utility of a gospel ministry. He gave some, apostles ; and some, prophets ; and some, evangeU ists ; and some, pastors and teachers ; for the perftB-ing of the saints ; for the work of the ministry ; for the edifying of the body of Christ.*
But no man has a right to impose these pastors and teachers. They are to be freely chosen by thé people, who are the sole judges of their qualifications, and of their abilities for their own particular edification. This right the churches of Christ, universally exercised for some ages, till antichrist got a head, and the civil magis-tfhte obtruded his authority, and thus the church be-came enslaved, debased and prostituted. Hence, even Tvhen an Apostle was to be ordained', in the place of Judas, the disciples were assembled (the number of the names together were about an hundred and twenty)and gave their lots. In Actsxiv. 23. we read, When they (Barnabas and Saul) had ordained them elders in every ? Eph, iy; π¿ ;2!
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church, and had prayed with fasting, they commend* ed them, to the Lord. Ordained : that is, appoint-ed with the suffrage, or lifting up of the hand of die people. The commission of Barnabas and Saul was extraordinary, and therefore we may suppose them to have exercised some extraordinary powers ; but still the word implies the choice, and consent of the people. This is agreeable to Acts vi. 3, 5, 6. Brethren look ye out )rom among you ¡even men oj hô— nest report—And the faying pleafed the multitude, and they chofe Stephen and Philip &c. whom they jet be-fore the apofles ; and when they had prayed they laid their hands on them. That this right of choosing their own pastors and officers, and of regulating their own affairs, was exercised by all the churches of Christ, in the first ages, is placed beyond all controversy ; for though many apologies have been invented for exist-ing inovations, yet profane, as well as sacred history, is so clear, on this head, that scarcely any doubt it.* And what right of more importance ? Let us therefore stand fajl in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made Usjree.f And I befeech you alfo, that ye receive not the'grace of God in vain.\
■* II was bv Juilinian's law's (about the year 534) that the inferior people were wlioly excluded from their right of iuflrage in the choice of their bifliops, etc. ;¡nd the election confined to the Optimates, or per-fons of better tank and quality. Juftitu Novel. 123,0. 1. Bing-ham's Ant:q. of the Chriftian Church, vol. ϋ. p. 213: t Gal. v. i.	+2 Cor. vi. 1.
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