amount to such a height, as to subvert or abolish the government, which by the judgment of her members, then infallible, was set on foot; because no judgment of her present members now, 'can come in any competition with her first. And if any state shall so accommodate itself, the accommo dators may, perhaps, be found fighting against the spirit of God, manifested both in the scripture, and in the judgment and practice of the universal Church of God."*

A shorter and still more direct answer to the Archdeacon's eccentric position respecting the appointment of bishops, considered only as a matter of temporary accommodation to the circumstances of the primitive Church, will be found in the following judicious observation of the celebrated Mr. Law. "We do not say that episcopacy cannot be changed, merely because we have Apostolical practice for it; but because such is the nature of the Christian priesthood, that it can only be continued in that method which God has appointed for its continuance. Episcopacy is the only instituted method of continuing the priesthood; therefore episcopacy is unchangeable. The Apostolical praetice, indeed, shows that episcopacy is the order that is appointed; but it is the nature of the priesthood that assures us that it is unalterable. So that the question is not fairly stated, when it is asked, whether episcopacy, being an Apostolical practice, may be laid aside? But it should be

"A Protestant's Account of his Orthodox Religion," p. 16, 17. Published in "Bibliotheca Scriptorum Ecclesiæ Anglicana;" by the Rev. George Hickes, D.D.

asked whether an instituted particular method of continuing the priesthood be not necessary to be continued foo Whether an appointed order, der of receiving a commission from God be not necessary to be observed, in order to receive a commission from Him? If the case were thus stated, as it ought to be fairly stated, any one would soon per ceive, that we can no more lay aside episcopacy, and yet continue the Christian priesthood, than we can alter the terms of salvation, and yet be in covenant with God."* Till the Archdeacon has answered what n has been so ably advanced upon this subject by the celebrated writer above-mentioned, the reader will readily dispense with further enlargement upon it.

That a writer who sees the Christian C Church in the light in which Dr. Paley appears to see it, rather as an appendage to the state, than as a society possessing an existence and government independent of it, should express himself on the subject of creeds and confessions in the manner he has ent done, is but what was, to be expected. He who considers the establishment of the Christian Church as the mere result of human judgment, exercised on that particular subject at a certain given time, will consider the establishment of creeds and confessions as expressive merely of the, opinion or persuasion of the age in which they were composed, rather than as fixing any standard of judgment for mankind at any future time.

To such a person the establishment of the Christian Church, and the establishment of an article of * Law's Second Letter to Bishop Hoadley.

ន

Y

because (to make in consequence

wont to take

Christian faith, will appears subjects equally open to discussion, and subjects upon which noosettled judgment can ever besformed because they must be continually varying with the opinions of man kind upon them. What was, therefore, an acknowledged article of faith in the primitive Church, may in process of time cease to be so use of the Archdeacon's words) of the changes which are wont place in the judgment of mankind, it may contradict the actual opinion of the Church of the present day upon that subject." The inference to be drawn from this position may be extended, I should conceive, be yond the boundaries marked out to it in the author's mind. For, as an unqualified position, it authorizes us to conclude, that articles of faith, supposed to be built upon the revealed word of God, are mate ters of mere opinion; in other words, that articles of faith are true, just so long as men think them to be and no longer. 802

A

How this position is to be reconciled with the rule laid down by Tertullian, and universally acted upon in the primitives Church, we must leaves Dr. Paley to consider. Regula fidei immobilis irres formabilis cætera disciplinæ et conversationis adAnd should this ittunt novitatem correctionis."* fluctuating position be admitted, in what sense, it may be asked, can the Church be called, as it is by the Apostle, the ground and pillar of the truth? Instead of having any form of sound words to have recourse to the determination of his judgment on any given point, the Christian must, in this case, * TERTULLIAN, Lib. de Virgin, veland. +1 Tim. iii. 15.

be continually asking what is truth ? And if it be tnade toodepend upon the fluctuating opinions of meny welt maya venture to say that it will not be worth this while to wait for the answersunitro ad V The accommodating articles of faith to the varying opinions of the Members of the Church for the time being, appears to be so very inconsistent with the direction given by St. Paulk to Timothy for the discharge of his ministry, that that part of St. Faul's writings must, it may be supposed, have

Archdeacon's observation.

C

the Hold fast," said St. Paul to Ti

mothy, «the form of sound u words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love, which is in Jesus Christ." 2 Tim. i. 18) "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many wite nesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." 2 Tim, ii. 2, St. Paul (as we read an immediate command from the head of the

Acts 1.Ananias and the disciples at Damascus, for in

Church, sent to

struction in the Gospel. The knowledge received by St. Paul on this subject, he afterwards communicated to Timothy; whom, on that account, he called “his own son in the faith," 1 Tim. i.

2 with direction that he should commit the same to other

that however deter

faithful men, for the purpose of their teaching the same to others, then, appears to be a form of sound words handed down through fire successive stages, originating with Christ himself; a circumstance, which warrants the conclusion that a certain standard of doctrine was established in the Church, for the uniform profession of its members from time to time, But, according to the Archdeacon's idea upon this subject Timothy should have reminded St. mined he might be in his own mind to hold fast the form of sound words which had been delivered to him, nevertheless that he could not take upon himself to answer for the conduct of those who might succeed him in the ministry; because," by reason of the changes that are wont to take place in the opinions of mankind upon religious subjects," the form of doctrine which he had received might not be suited to the future cirof the Church; the establishment of it, therefore, must be left to depend upon the discretion and judgment of its

cumstances

By a person entertaining the foregoing idea respecting the accommodation of religious subjects to the changeable opinions of mankind, it was to be expected that creeds and confessions should be considered as attended with serious inconveniences. Establishments of every kind are liable to the same objection; they will be inconvenient to those who wish to be at liberty, and sometimes so far forget the nature of man, and the condition of society, as to be persuaded, that they ought to be at liberty to establish every thing for themselves! But the question is, whether this objection be not abund antly overbalanced by the convenience derived to mankind from their adoption. It may not be pos sible to guard against all the inconveniencies arising from establishments, in which fallible men are concerned: there are, however, some, against which we would not wish to guard. The laws of the land, for instance, are inconvenient to those who are indisposed to obey them. So are creeds and confessions to those who are disinclined to believe them. Whilst by others they are considered as restraints upon human liberty, necessary to the preservation of peace, order, and truth, in the world.

The charge brought against the latter, that they check inquiry, and violate liberty, does not appear to be well founded. It certainly was not intended that creeds aud confessions should check proper inquiry for every Christian is called upon to

prove all things;" to make inquiry, that he may

ministers for the time being. The answer which St. Paul would have returned upon such an occasion, the reader, it is presumed, has already formed for himself.