communion was forbidden, and be separated from them, God will receive them, and be a Father to them; and that they shall be his sons and daughters. But this promise could not be made to those, who were not Christians, however decent, moral, and unobjectionable, they might be in their external deportment. The persons, to whom the text is addressed, were addressed as Christians only, because the promise cannot have been made to any others. But if this Church had, in the Apostle's view, been intentionally, and scripturally, made up of others beside Christians, the Apostle could not have addressed them in language, applicable only to Christians. The text, therefore, in connection with the context, furnishes clear evidence of the truth of the Doctrine. As, however, it is a Doctrine of great importance, and not a little debated even in the present age; I shall consider it more at length; and endeavour to illustrate it by the following considerations:

I. The Original Formation of the Church in the world:

II. The Establishment, and Character, of the Jewish Church, as exhibited in the Scriptures:

III. The Nature of the Covenant between God and the Members of the Church:

IV. The Nature of Christian Communion :

V. The Nature of Christian Discipline: and,

VI. The Manner, in which the Christian Church is spoken of in the New Testament.

These subjects, if I mistake not, involve every thing, of importance in the concerns of the Church. If, then, they all point the same way, and prove the same things; the consequence will, it is hoped, be a fair, and Scriptural, determination of the point in debate. It will be expected, from a consideration of the limits, beyond which the discussion cannot here proceed, that many things must be omitted, which might be fairly demanded in a regular treatise. It will also be supposed, that whatever is said must be said in a summary manner. Having premised these things, I observe,

I. This Doctrine is illustrated by the Original Foundation of the Church in the world.

Of this event we have a summary account Gen. iv. 26. And

to Seth, to him also, there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord; or, as, in the margin, to call themselves by the name of the Lord. The meaning of this declaration is plainly, that they took upon themselves the title of the Sons of God; considering themselves as his children by Adoption, in distinction from wicked men, who were children of God by Creation only, and had forfeited this relation by their apostasy. By this title they professed themselves to be penitents, believers, obedient; to have the disposition of children; and to reverence, love, and serve God. As this title is adopted afterward by the Divine Writers throughout the Scriptures; it is fairly presumed to have been directed, originally, by God himself for it is scarcely credible, that God would every where call his Church by a name, derived from mere human assumption.

I have observed, that this phraseology is ever afterwards used to denote the Church. The members of the Church are called Sons of God twelve times in the Scriptures; his children twice in the Old, and ten times in the New, Testament; and his people in instances, too numerous to be reckoned. In all these instances the Sons, and Children, of God denote those, who are such by adoption; and, in very many, the phrase, the People of God, has the same meaning. But the adopted Children of God are Christians. The original Church, therefore, consisted of Christians or, in other words, those, who were subjects of faith, repentance, and holiness. This is evident, also, from the fact, that the Holy Angels are called the Sons of God: an application of the phrase, which indicates that holy beings, only, are designated by this title.

The same Doctrine is also illustrated by the Ordinance of BapIn the administration of this ordinance, persons are baptised not in, but into, the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: that is, by his appointment they are introduced into his family, and take his name upon them, as being his Children.

This title, also, was adopted at first, to distinguish those by whom it was adopted, from persons, who were destitute of faith, repentance, and holiness; and therefore was a direct profession of piety on the part of those, by whom it was assumed.

II. The Doctrine is illustrated by the Establishment, and Character, of the Jewish Church, as exhibited in the Scriptures.

The Establishment of the Jewish Church was not the formation of a new Church, but a continuation of the original, or patriarchal, Church, under a form, in some respects new. Particularly, it was confined to a single family; that of Abraham; was furnished with a series of written revelations, from the time of Moses; and had new Sacraments instituted; viz. Circumcision in the time of Abraham, and the Passover in the days of Moses. A new Ritual was also given, at this latter period, for the universal direction of its worship; typifying, in a decisive manner, the Mediation of Christ, and the worship of Christians. Agreeably to this scheme, the Church was established on the same foundations, as before. In the 17th of Genesis we have an account of this establishment, from the 4th verse to the end of the 14th. The amount of this Covenant was plainly, That God would be the God of Abraham and his seed; as God himself explains this subject Ezek. xvi. 8; where, speaking of the Jewish Nation, as his Church, he says, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee; and thou becamest mine. In accordance with this exhibition God directed Moses to say to Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my Son, even my first-born.

The same thing is also evident from the manner, in which the Israelites renewed, and took upon themselves individually, the covenant made with Abraham. Of this transaction we have an account in Deut. xxvi. 16, &c. This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments. Thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statules, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice; and the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee; and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments, and to make thee high above all nations, which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour: and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken.

Here it is manifest, that the Israelites avouched, that is, publicly and solemnly declared, JEHOVAH to be their God; whom they

chose, as such; and whom, as such, they covenanted faithfully to obey in all his commandments, with all the heart, as an holy people. Equally evident is it, that God avouched them to be his people; whom he had chosen to be a peculiar people to himself. Accordingly, on the one hand, it was perpetually enjoined upon them, that they should love the Lord their God with all the heart; in which case he promised to keep his Covenant with them; (see Deut. vii. 9,) and on the other, he declared repeatedly, that he had chosen them to be a special and peculiar people unto himself. Deut. vii. 6, and xiv. 2.

The same thing is also evident from God's express prohibition, to the wicked, of taking his covenant into their mouths. Ps. I. 16. Unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do, to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant into thy mouth? Unto the wicked; that is, to all, included under this title, or to all wicked persons, God saith, that is, universally, as an expression of his will at all times.

This declaration was made immediately to the Israelites ; to the wicked members of the Jewish Church; and contains an absolute prohibition of this conduct on the part of sinful men. No national connection, therefore, with a church, no descent from Abraham, gave a right to any wicked Israelite to take the covenant into his mouth. Although he had been circumcised, he was still abhorred in this transaction; and exposed himself in a peculiar degree to the anger of God.

Finally; The same thing is evident from the manner, in which God speaks of their sin in breaking his Covenant. In Lev. xxvi. 15, &c. God says, If ye shall despise my statutes; or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant; I also will do this unto you. I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart and ye shall sow your seed in vain; for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, &c. In Deut. xxix. 22, and onward, Moses says, So that the generation to come of your children, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of your land, and the sicknesses, which the Lord hath laid upon it, and that the VOL. V.

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whole land thereof is brimstone, salt, and burning, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim: Even all the nations shall say, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto his land, and what meaneth the heat of this great anger? Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers. See also Jer. xxii. 8, 9. Ezek. xvi. 59. Hos. x. 4.

III. This doctrine is illustrated, also, by the Nature of the Covenant between God and the Members of the Church.

As there have been various opinions, relative to this subject; it seems necessary, that it should be considered with some particularity. I observe, therefore,

1. That the Israelites were required, expressly, to enter into an open, public covenant with God.

Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Deut. vi. 13. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God: him shalt thou serve: to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. Deut. x. 20. In that day shall five Cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the Lord of Hosts. Is. xix. 18. And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The Lord liveth; (as they taught my people to swear by Baal ;) then shall they be built in the midst of my people. Jer. xii. 16. Them that worship the Host of Heaven upon the house top, and them that worship, and swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham. Zeph. i. 5.

It is observed by President Edwards, that the phrase, Swear by the Lord, ought to be rendered, swear to, or unto, the Lord; and that the true meaning of the phrase is, Ye shall enter into covenant with the Lord your God. Accordingly, the transaction, already quoted from Deut. xxvi. 16, in which God avouched the Israelites to be his people, and they avouched him to be their God, is styled both a Covenant, and an Oath. Ye stand this day, all of you, before the Lord your God, says Moses to the whole people of Israel, that thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his Oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day; that he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unte