To know what this is, and whence its authority is derived, we must go back to the Gospel itself.

Jefus Chrift was fent from heaven by the Father, and invested with the glory of the Priesthood by an actual confecration, when the fpirit defcended upon him. As the Father fent him, "fo "did he send his difciples," and gave them authority to fend others fo that the church which followed, derived its authority from the church which Chrift first planted in the world; and the church at this day muft derive its authority after the famę manner, by fucceffion from the church which went before; the line extending from Chrift himself, to the end of the world. "lo," faid he, "I am with you always, unto the end of the "world" certainly, not with thofe very perfons, who all foon died, but with thofe who fhould fucceed, and be accounted for the fame; for a body corporate never dies, till its fucceffion is extin&*.

Our Saviour at firft ordained his twelve Apoftles according to the number of the tribes of the church of Ifrael, Afterwards he ordained other feventy, according to the number of the elders, whom Mofes appointed as his affiftants. When the church in Jerufalem was multiplied, feven deacons were ordained, by the laying on of the hands of the Apostles, to preach, and baptize, and minifter, in diftributing the alms of the church. Here then we have three orders of men, each distinct from the other; the twelve Apostles, the feventy difciples, and the seven deacons ; and by these the firft Chriftian church in Jerufalem was governed and administered. The Apoftles were fuperior in office to the difciples; because, when Judas fell from the apostleship, one was chofen by lot out of the difciples into the apoftlefhip: the deacons were inferior to both; aad it appears that they were appointed by the laying on of the hands of the twelve Apostles; for it is said, Acts vi. 2. "the twelve called the multitude of the difciples unto "them," &c. That the Apostles appointed others to fucceed to their own order, is evident from the cafe of Timothy; who in

"Take away this fucceffion, and the clergy may as well be ordained by one perfon as another: a number of women may as well give them a divine commiffion;—but they are no more priests of God, than thofe who pretend to make them fo. If we had loft the Scriptures, it would be very well to make as good books as we could, and 'come as near them as poffible: but then it would not only be folly, but prefumption, to call them the word of God." See the fecond Letter to the Bishop of Bangor: Poitfcript.

the antient fuperfcription, at the end of the fecond Epiftle, is faid to have been "ordained the firft bishop of the church of the Ephefians." He is admonished to "lay hands fuddenly on no "man;" therefore he had power to ordain: and he is likewise admonished not to "receive an accufation against an elder, (or "prefbyter) but before two or three witneffes:" therefore he had a judicial authority over that order. Directions are given with refpect to the deacons of the fame church; therefore, in the first church of the Ephefians, there was a bishop, with elders and deacons under him; as in the church which began at Jerufalem, there was the order of the Apostles, of the difciples, and of the deacons. In the Chriftian church, throughout the world, we find these three orders of minifters for fifteen hundred years, without interruption. The fact therefore is undeniable, that the church has been governed by bithops, priests, and deacons, from the Apoftles downwards; and where we find thefe orders of minifters duly appointed, the word preached, and the facraments adminiftered, there we find the church of Chrift, with its form, and its authority.

The wisdom of God is here very evident, in appointing the orders of the Chriftian miniftry after the pattern of the Jewish church, which was of his own appointment fo long before. That there might be no uncertainty in a cafe of fuch confequence to the fouls of men, there was no novelty, but a continuation of the like administration with that which had all along been known and acknowledged in the church. Aaron was an high priest, with a miniftry peculiar to himself; under him there was an order of priests, twenty-four in number, who ferved by courfe in the daily facrifices and devotions of the tabernacle and temple; and thefe were affifted by the whole tribe of the Levites. As the law had its paffover, its baptifms, its incenfe, its facrifices, its confecrations, its benedictions, all to be realized under the facraments and offerings of the Gofpel; so its ministry was but a pattern of the miniftry which is now amongst us; and we can not mistake the one, if we have an eye to the other; fuch is the goodness of God in directing and keeping us, through all the confufions of the latter days, by a rule of fuch great antiquity, to the way of truth, and keeping us in it.

The great ufe of the church is to receive and minifter to the fal vation of those who are taken out of the world: but this it cannot do without the truth of the Chriftian doctrine; the church is

therefore as an inftrument, or candleftick, for the holding and preferving of this facred light. It is called the "pillar and "ground of the truth;" not as if it had any right of making or impofing doctrines of its own; for the ground and the pillar do not make the roof, they only fupport it; nor doth the candlestick make the light, it only holds the light. And thefe fimilitudes will be found juft, if we purfue them farther; for as when the pillars are removed, the building must fall; and when the lamp or the candlestick is broken, the light will be extin&t; fo if the church be taken away, the truth falls along with it, as we have seen, and do fee, in this country. Our Quakers, who are fartheft from the church, are totally departed from the truth of Chriftian doctrine; and many of thofe feparate congregations, who were Puritans and Believers in the last age, are Socinians and Infidels in this: a confideration which thould prevail upon fincere people of all perfuafions, who believe in Jefus Chrift as their Lord and Saviour, to lay aside their animolity, and unite against the Socinians, who are the common enemies of all Chriftian people, and are now endeavouring to overthrow the faith of our creeds and articles..

When we speak of the use of the church, we should never forget the great benefit and information which arifes from the fafts and feftivals of the church; (totally neglected by the fetaries) by the courfe of which, the piety of Chriftians is directed to all the great fubjects of the Gofpel; fome of which might otherwife never be revived in our thoughts during the whole year. But the church fpends its year with Jefus Chrift, and follows him in faith, through all the great works of his mediatorial office, from his advent to the fending down of the Holy Ghoft on the day of Pentecoft. On this ground, the work of Mr. Nelfon is of great value to all Chriftian families; and we have reafon to hope it will never fall into difufe: though all perfons, fanatically inclined, are very cold to the merits of it, and the fectaries, it is to be fuppofed, must totally reject is on their own principles.

Here I must add, that the wifdom of God is farther manifeft, in appointing a provifion for his minifters, independent of the people. The maintenance of the Jewish pricfthood was from God; for the tythes and offerings, on which they lived, were first dedicated to-God, and from him transferred for the support of his miniftry. So doth he himfelf state the cafe by the prophet:

"Ye have robbed me," faith he, "in tythes and offerings;" as if they were his own property: and so they were; for being dedicated to God, the first proprietor of all things, they belong to him before they belong to his church. The wifdom and piety of Christian states followed the rule of the Scripture from the earliest times; and it ftill obtains in this country. And what would be the confequence if it were not fo? While the minister depends only upon the God to whom he is accountable, he dares fpeak the truth: but where he is dependent on the people, and the people are corrupt, then he must accommodate himself to their fancy. For this reason, if the people of a congregation, who chuse their own minister, fall into herefy, they rarely or never get out of it, because they will bear no teacher, but one who is of their own perfuafion, and will flatter them in their errors.

I have nothing more to fay upon the nature of the church, but to fhew the extent of its authority. Every fociety must have power over its own members, to admit or exclude as the cafe requires: it cannot otherwise fubfift. The church, from the days of the Apostles, always exercised the power of excommunicating notorious offenders, and of abfolving and reftoring true penitents. Excommunication is an exclufion from the church; and they who have authority to baptize, muft have authority to excommunicate. The church must also have authority in directing its own worship and fervices, as to time, place, ceremonies. "Let all "things be done decently and in order :" but what is decency, and what is order, is not specified, and must be left to the discre tion of the rulers of the church. The church has no authority to ordain any thing contrary to the law of God; nor doth the law of God depend upon the authority of the church. There are three forts of things about which the church is converfant; good, bad, and indifferent: the good oblige by their own nature; the bad cannot be enforced by any authority: therefore the authority of the church muft extend to things indifferent, that is, to order and difcipline, to circumstances of time, place, forms of worship, ceremonies, and fuch like: and to disobey because they are indifferent is to deny that God hath given power to his church to regulate any one thing whatsoever.

Ought we not, on the oregoing confiderations, to magnify the goodness and wisdom of God, who hath provided a church for the reception of loft mankind, and given to it the light of truth, and the means of grace? No fubject can be plainer than this of the

nature and conftitution of the church; and the neceffity of its ministry and ordinances to the falvation of man, and the prefervation of truth, charity, peace, and godlinefs, is as clear as the fun. What a blessed thing it would be for us, if all people could fee this! What temptations, corruptions, tumults, and miferies, would it prevent amongst mankind! But, alas, they are ever ingenious in defeating the purposes of God for their own good. They have ways and expedients, not only of making them felves eafy without the benefits of the Chriftian church, but of actually cafting them all off with a high hand, as needless, fuperftitious, dangerous, and even finful, and anti-chriftian; not helps to falvation, but hindrances. How this matter is, and with what reafonings they deceive themselves, we fhall difcover with very little inquiry.

THE ERRORS WHICH TEMPT MEN TO LEAVE THE CHURCH, AND MAKE THEM EASY WHEN THEY ARE SEPARATED FROM IT.

HE

THE means of grace, and the promifes of God, being with his church, they who would be made partakers of them, muft apply to the church: and who would not? Who would not willingly flee from Sodom on fire to take refuge in Zoar? When the ftorm is abroad, the beasts have fenfe to fly to a place of fhelter: and as the wrath of God is denounced against this world, men must be enemies to themfelves, if they refufe to be delivered in the way which God hath appointed. But we know nothing of this world, if we think all men are friends. to their own spiritual interest. Many will rather have recourfe to their own imaginations; and when pride hath got poffeffion of them, they are above being directed.

The example of Naaman is very inftructive on this part of our fubject. When he was ordered to feek the cure of his leprofy, by washing feven times in Jordan, the proud Syrian refused to comply with the ceremony, because he could not fee how it fhould have any effect. Nevertheless, when he had thought better