Tpheres, act out of character, and contribute greatly toward the production or promotion of fchifm in the church of Christ.

As you would not chufe that church officers make encroachments upon your privileges,-be exhorted to guard against ufurping to yourselves any part of that province, which Jefus Chrift hath rendered peculiar to them.

The beautiful order of each member, in the natural body, is not more neceffary for the various purposes of life; than your keeping by your own fpheres, in the body ecclefiaftic, is for the purposes of edification.

Though you have no right to teach, no right to rule in the church; you should not peevishly undervalue the place you fill, as if your spheres of action were chimeras in themselves, and of no importance to the church at all. For, in the language of the apostle, "If the foot fhall fay, becaufe "I am not the hand, I am not of the body;-Is it,

therefore, not of the body?And if the ear "fhall fay, because I am not the eye, I am not of "the body;Is it, therefore, not of the body?" Cor. xii. 15, 16.

If, according to our former reafoning, you were all to act in the teaching and ruling capacities, then, you could no more be a church constituted according to the doctrine of the New Testament; than a number of hands or feet, ears or eyes, joined together, without other members, could conftitute a proper human body. The former would be equally monftrous in the moral, as the latter would be in the natural world. For, "if the whole body were an eye, "where were the hearing? If the whole body were "hearing, where were the fmelling?" verf. 17.

But if you should imagine, that it is competent for you, as church members, to bring the decifi

ons of your fuperiors under your own review, as the dernier refort--the wildeft anarchy, the most abfolute confufion behoved to follow; and you could cut no better figure, in your church capacity, than a human body would cut, with it's various members totally inverted.

But, my dear friends, when the principle, from whence fuch notions proceed, is traced to it's original; it will probably appear to be nothing else than a love of power, the very crime with which others are fometimes fo illiberally charged.

Where, for inftance, men,-uncalled, unqualified, and without authority, take upon them to teach and govern in the church; do they not difcover an averfion at the thought of being taught and governed where they allow themselves to fee nothing but blemishes in the adminiftration of others; does it not infinuate an apprehenfion, that they themselves could fill fuch places of truft with greater honour and advantage?-And, where their not being acknowleged, in particular decifions, ftimulates prejudices against them; does it not difplay the haughty idea they entertain of their own wif dom and importance?

Let none, therefore, deliberately steer upon the very rocks, against which, it is alledged, regular office-bearers in the church ufually dafh. Though they fhould, in reality, or in your apprehenfion only, fall into one extreme, by an abuse of power; fee, that you do not flide into another, by thinking that no executive power is lodged in particular officers at all.

Rather, my brethren, be exhorted, to mark the propriety, expediency, and neceffity of a scriptural fubjection to your lawful fuperiors in the Lord. And though you fhould find yourfelves obliged to decline the jurifdiction of one church, from an ap

prehenfion

prehenfion that Chrift's laws are not executed in her; rather than prefume, at your own hands, to act as executors of them,-be exhorted to join yourfelves to fuch other duly organized church as may be taught and governed more agreeably to your views of fcripture authority.

At the fame time, may not church officers, notwithstanding of all the truft which is repofed in them, be faid to go from their own spheres; act out of character; and contribute likewife toward the production and promotion of fchifm,-in as far as they difcourage the exercife of private judgment, in matters of doctrine and duty;-deprive the dif ciples of Chriftian freedom, in the choice of teachers and rulers; or, any how, render the brethren's right of private judgment and free election obfolete and ineffectual?

Where liberty is the diftinguishing badge of a people, every encroachment upon it must be deeply affecting.

If the brethren, as men, have a natural right to judge, with whom they would entrust the care of their health and eftates ;-and if they may lawfully ehufe and employ, accordingly, for themfelves :--with what propriety can they, as Chriftians, be rob. bed of the more interefting privilege of judging and chufing, in concerns of a fpiritual nature?

If difguft, diffenfion, or even rebellion itself, might neceffarily-flow from men's having their natural privileges wrefted our of their hands ;-Can approbation, unanimity, and obedience be expected, if their Chriftian privileges fhould be wantonly extorted from them.

Such oppreffion may, indeed, be fometimes warranted by particular laws; but, if thofe laws were made only to keep oppreffors in countenance, (especially if previous and approved ftatutes are thereby,

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abrogated,

abrogated, or rendered ufelefs)- fo far from preventing, would they not rather ftimulate the breach?

Or, for argument's fake, though oppreffive mea fures were supported by ancient, as well as modern, civil as well as ecclefiaftic laws; if they were juftified by no part of that pattern shewn in the scriptures, could remonftrance, and feceffion, on the part of the difciples, be thought, in the leaft furprizing?

And, to whatever caufe prejudice may usually afcribe it, when church decrees have not the fame effect upon Chriftians now, that the decrees of the apostles and elders had upon the multitude at Antioch ;-Is it not more than probable,-That they have not feemed good to the Holy Ghost?

But, if they fhould, in fact, be contrary to the "more fure word of prophecy",-however good they might feem to men of every order, could it be reasonably imagined, that the multitude of believers would have freedom to acquiefce in them?Upon one fuppofition only," That Chriftians "might warrantably hearken unto men, rather "than to God."

These being the principles from whence lawful, or even laudible diffentions might be accounted for, the conftituent members of this Provincial Synod will bear with me, while at your own command, I now "ftir up your pure minds, by way of remem"brance."

That, to deprive all of every apology for diffenfion, You would attend to the expediency, as well as jufice, of fecuring the difciples, under your infpection, in the whole rights transferred to them by Jefus Chrift.

Though church officers of other communions fhould hold their people in the most fovereign contempt; (by lording over their confciences,-count

ing them equally unfit, to judge what doctrines they should receive, as illiterate patients, what medicines they should apply,-and reckoning it no more competent for them, to chufe their own paftors, than it is for children, to pitch upon pedagogues for themselves :) without pretending, at farther length, to determine the boundaries of their privileges, let our people have unceasing proofs of the most tender concern for their peace and edification.

Though we give them leave to distinguish, ac cording to the fcriptures and our own ftandards, between truth and error; though we permit them to judge what minifterial gifts are most adapted to their capacities; though we hear fuch remonftrances as are founded upon juft claims of right; and though we grant fuch redress of grievances as is competent for us, and confiftent with our character and duty; do we any more, than-" be"come all things to all men ?”

Let the clergy of other churches be determined, if they will, in their decifions, by the wisdom of this world, the opinions and commandments of men ; --by attachment to party, love of politics, defire of gain, or uniformity of conduct, without regard to divine authority at all; but, let us,-regardlefs of every other confideration, of every lower motive, let us make confcience of fquaring all our decifions by "the law and the teftimony."

While their statutes are founded upon-" Thus "faith the wisdom of human legiflatures ;-Thus "faith the councils of the fathers ;-Thus faith. "the Pope, or the People;"-let us glory in founding ours upon THUS SAITH THE

"LORD."

Nay, to whatever discoveries other ecclefiaftics may pretend, until we fee, from our bibles, that disappointing

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