the thrones of tyrants and sunder all the fetters of the church, but they would have it begin a counter march through our own nation, that it may complete here its glorious work. Though they have not fully defined what form of civil government could be adopted, that would, without the aid of authority and physical power, secure freedom from the wrongs and oppressions of the lawless, they have defined their idea of a Christian church, and given us a model by which all churches should be formed. A true Christian church is a body of men who have no test of faith, either expressed or implied, and who meet, whenever convenience or pleasure dictates, to hear preaching by one who disowns all allegiance to others for his belief. A church, it is said, should not only be independent, but have no bond of union except love, no profession of faith to be made when members are admitted, and no power to excommunicate any, whatever may be their faith. This view of a church is supposed to be the very ultimatum of perfection, and the only view that is compatible with true religious liberty. Each member, it is said, must be entirely free from all such obligation as arises from a doctrinal compact, and have an unlimited right to believe nothing or every thing. Any one can enter it when he pleases without even the civility of knocking at the door. Indeed, it has no door, or rather it is all door-a building without walls-a city without boundaries, a sort of intangible, shapeless affair, embracing men of all kinds of belief. It professes to love truth, but if it were to have a test, it would be stabbing liberty in its heart! It declares itself to be seeking the culture of the affections by the agency of truth, but if it were to close its pulpit against a heretic, it would be usurping the dominion of God! Avowedly, it has noble ends in view-the cultivation of reverence for God and love for man;-but it is guilty of seeking these ends without any admitted truths teaching the divine existence, or any authorized law defining man's relation to man!

This idea of a Christian church bears but little resemblance to that given in the New Testament. It would be difficult to conceive of any thing more absurd, than to suppose that Christ would establish churches in order to perpetuate his religion and give it the greatest possible con

trol over his people, and yet not make the belief of his religion essential to membership. If it be said, this is putting a fetter upon man, and taking away his individual freedom, we reply, then Christ's religion is not true, for certainly no man can be enslaved by truth. And here undoubtedly we reach the real cause why the world has had a new model for a church. Men have lost their confidence in Christ as an unerring and divinely authorized Teacher. They are no longer willing to take him as their guide. He does not in their estimation stand at the head of the church, and they refuse to receive him as its Foundation, its Law-giver, its Teacher, its Exemplar! Now all the churches of which we read in the New Testament were built upon Christ. A profession of faith in him was essential to membership. Jesus, in all his preaching, required faith in himself as essential to life and salvation. Matt. xi. 27-30. Mark. xvi. 15. 16. John. iii. 16-19, 36. He not only required this faith, but an open profession of it.

"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." Matt. x. 37, 38. This law he based upon one previously given : "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." Matt. x. 32, 33. Jesus would own none as his disciples, who had not the honesty and moral courage requisite to make them open in their acknowledgement of him. But this was not the only reason why he required a public profession of faith in himself. He wished to organize his followers into a distinct body, that they might sustain public worship, and give a united support to all the institutions of his religion. The advocates of the false religions were thus organized, and they marshalled all their forces against him. There was was but one method of counteracting their efforts, and bringing the mighty power of his religion to act upon the world; and that was by combining the strength of his followers, and having them act in concert in sustaining his ministry and the other ordinances of his religion. He therefore, gave all necessary directions in

regard to the requisite organizations. His disciples were to unite, not merely as friends of each other, but as his friends, for that great purpose. They were openly to avow, not only a love for each other, but a love for hima love which had its birth in a faith which acknowledged him as God's divinely commissioned and supernaturally endowed servant; as "the head of the church," in whom every Christian could be complete in knowledge and righteousness. They were to watch over each other in love; preach and pray in his name; celebrate his Supper in memory of him, and bring all that they could to join his ranks, by publicly owning him as their Lord and Redeemer. Thus, a church, such as he would have established, was infinitely more than a body of persons having a common sympathy, and seeking the cultivation of friendly feelings. It was a body of persons who entered into a solemn confederation to walk as he directed; to keep the laws he had given; to publish his religion; and own him on all occasions as their Divine Lawgiver and Saviour. Christian affection was not all the bond that was necessary, though without this they could not be a church of Christ. But they needed something else; they needed a covenant to bind them to Christ as their Ruler, and to each other as his disciples. Without this, they could not have even the form of a church, much less the right to insist upon his being honored as its Head; followed as its Guide; and trusted as its Saviour. Besides, if a church had no compact, it would have no right to require faith as a necessary qualification for membership; neither would it have a right to discipline its members and excommunicate one unworthy of its fellowship. A Christian church then, is not an organization made according to human laws, but according to divine laws. It is not a human institution, but a divine one. We have divine directions in regard to the faith that is necessary; to the public profession of that faith; to the rights and duties of members, and to the ordinances which they shall support.

This I know will be considered high ground to occupy; for many think that we need no compact, that a compact is destructive of liberty, and that man is degraded and the fire of his spontaneous inspiration extinguished, by agreeing to any compact whatever. It is enough for me that Christ

and his apostles saw this subject in a different light. On one occasion Christ said to the disciples, "Who say ye that I am?" Peter replied, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered and said unto him, "Blessed art thou Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matt. xvi. 15–18. Now it is entirely immaterial whether we say, that that upon which Christ would built his church, was Peter, or the truth which he confessed; for Peter was nothing without that truth; and if in any sense the church was to be built upon him, it was through the agency of the truth which he had just confessed. Accordingly, on the day of Pentecost, we find Peter preaching Christ as the Son of God, as one approved of God by miracles and wonders and signs; as the one whom God had raised from the dead agreeably to the prediction of David; and as the one who should reign till his enemies were made his foot-stool. By this preaching, and the miracles that were wrought, three thousand converts were made in one day. These converts continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers. Acts. ii. The confession of faith which Peter made, was not only required by him, but by all others. When Philip baptized the Ethiopian, whom he found reading Isaiah, it was because he confessed his belief, "that Jesus Christ was the Son of God." The same course was pursued by Philip in Samaria: "But when they believed Philip, preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." Acts, viii. 12. See also Acts, ix. 22. 42; x. 34-43; xi. 20-26; xiii. 38, 39; xiv. 1-3. 21-23; xvi. 5; xvii. 1-20; xviii. 5; xix. 4, 5; xxviii. 23, 24.

Thus all the converts to Christianity openly professed their faith in Christ as the Son of God; and not one was baptized or admitted to the church, without making this profession. To the church at Colosse, Paul writes"We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have

[Ja

to all the saints; for the hope which is laid up for you heaven, whereof ye have heard before in the word of t truth of the gospel." Col. i. 3-5. To the Romans, writes-"This is the word of faith which we preach, th if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesu Christ, and shall believe in thy heart that God has raise him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with th heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with th mouth confession is made unto salvation." Rom. x. 8-1 Here we see something more than a desire for truth, an sympathy for one another; we see faith, strong faith, sincere faith; and we see that there was required an ope confession of this faith. Hence the members of th churches were called believers, saints, disciples, and th sanctified in Christ. "Unto the Church of God which i at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be saints, with all that in every place call upo the name of Christ Jesus our Lord, both theirs and ours. 1 Cor. i. 2. See also Acts, v. 14. 1 Tim. iv. 12. 2 Cor xiv. 33. Eph. i. 1. Acts, xi. 26; xx. 7.

If any thing further be required to prove that the firs churches had a compact which embraced faith in Christ and gave them power to discipline members, and excommunicate unbelievers, it will be found in the following language: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?" 2 Cor. vi. 14-18. Here a line is drawn between believers and unbelievers, Christians and infidels; and Christians are required not to be yoked with unbelievers, but to come out from among them. Now how could Paul say-yoked with unbelievers-if there was not such a compact as we have described? How were they united to them? And what right had they to complain of unbelievers, if they were not united by a compact which made faith in Christ essential? Paul says, " A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject." Titus, iii. 10. It is certain, then, that the first churches were composed only of professed believers in Christ, who united in the bonds of