tice of what we say; and it is invoking his vengeance or renouncing his favour, if what we say be false, or what we promise be not performed."* This is the solemn import of the words which close the form of a civil oath; So help you God. May God deal with you in mercy or in judgment, as you shall speak truth or falsehood in the case now before you, or as you shall perform or not perform what you now promise.

This awful nature of an oath is very particularly exhibited in the following form, which is administered in Holland to those who embrace the Jewish religion. "You swear by the almighty and living God, who created heaven and earth, and gave his laws by Moses, that you will be upright and true in whatever shall here be asked of or proposed to you; and if you declare any thing either entirely, or in part, false and unjust, you acknowledge yourself liable to all the curses, plagues and punishments, temporal and eternal, which the God of Israel inflicted on Sodom and Gomorrah, and Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and which he has denounced against all those who, invoke or use his name falsely or in vain. As you are true or false, so may God almighty and omniscient reward or punish you."

REMARKS.

How shocking to every pious mind, is the apparent lightness and irreverence, with which civil oaths are often administered. How little do people in general

• Paley,

consider the awful nature and sacred obligations of an oath.

How heinous is the crime of perjury, and the crime of using profane oaths in conversation.

Civil magistrates as well as gospel ministers, should often instruct people in the nature and obligations of an oath, and endeavour to impress their minds with a religious veneration for the great name of GOD.

CIVIS.

SURVEY OF NEW ENGLAND
CHURCHES.

(Continued from page 318.)

How great soever the advantage of confessions, they have many and powerful adversaries; who, although they agree in a common disesteem of confess ́ions, are influenced to it by different motives. Some are always ready to complain of measures, which they did not originate and control. Others extend their charity to men of all parties of Christianity, and of all religions which prevail in the world, and do not consider the belief of any particular doctrines, as essential to salvation. They think that people of all persuasions have an equal claim to the favour of God, and may be saved according to the particular scheme of religion which they embrace. With such ideas, they naturally despise confessions of faith, the very being of which is founded on the importance and necessity of believing certain articles in order to church fellowship. They who esteem the Christian doctrine of small moment, look with indifference upon the means of preserving its purity, and upon the obligations which bind men

to maintain it. We believe it an observation, which will be found generally true, that in proportion to the opinion which a man entertains of the doctrines of Christianity, and his zeal to propagate them in the world, will be his esteem of confessions.

But a greater number, it is apprehended, take the side of opposition, because, in the bulk of confessions, their own sentiments are condemned. They wish to destroy a weapon, which they see directed against themselves. Were their own particular sentiments contained in the generality of creeds, their zeal to discredit them would undoubtedly decrease. Although we are far from applying this to all who differ from us concerning this subject, yet we are apprehensive that, generally, men are against confessions, because confessions are against them. There are indeed some, deserving the name of Christians, who, by a mistaken fondness for the noble principles of liberty and private judgment, and a zeal for the honour of divine revelation, are led to entertain an unfavourable opinion of creeds.

We now proceed to a serious and careful investigation of the principal objections which have been urged against creeds, designing to represent them substantially, as they have been stated by the ablest writers, and not to dissemble any thing which adds to their strength.

Objection 1. Confessions of faith, in their very nature and design, are an invasion of the natural rights of mankind. Every person is entitled to examine and judge for himself, especially in religion, which commands the strict

est inquiry, and cannot subsist without free and rational choice. No man, therefore, or society of men have authority to judge for another, or to compose a system of doctrines to which they can demand his assent. And as such a claim, by whomsoever made, is assuming and arbitrary; it is dishonourable and base in any Christian to submit to it. He who yields his neck to this yoke, gives up the most valuable right of a rational creature, and violates the command of Christ, to "call no man master on earth."

In order completely to invali date this specious objection, it seems necessary to show the foundation on which a vindication of creeds is built, or to mention the principles, upon which a church may require of those, who would become her members or her ministers, a consent to a public confession of faith. we are willing the candid should judge, after attending to the subject, whether the use of confessions be any thing more, than a proper exercise of that freedom in religious concerns, which constitutes the essence of this objection.

And

It is not only the dictate of reason, but the appointment of Christ, that good men should unite together in religious societies, and have communion and fellowship with each other, as the people of God. And as freedom is the birthright of mankind, any number of them may voluntarily join themselves together for religious purposes, under such regulations as appear to them agreeable to God's word; provided they do not violate the rules of justice, or the rights of others. As every man ought to

ed in confessions. We are ever ready to assert, that a Christian ought to receive that sentiment, which, upon impartial inquiry, appears most agreeable to Scripture, whether it is contained in confessions, or not. If we produce passages of Scripture, as conclusive proofs of the doctrines contained in creeds, let it not be supposed, that we would be followed at a venture. We have no design to fetter the understanding of others, or to bear down a rational inquiry by the weight of our decisions; but wish every one, with an unbiass ed mind, to examine our faith, and judge whether it be according to Scripture.

We pretend not that a confession of faith, or any human composition is, properly speaking, a standard of orthodoxy, or a test, by which erroneous opinions can be certainly distinguished from those which are true. It is possible the truth may be on the other side, and that error may be found in the established creeds of the church. But although no church or society of fallible men have a right to determine any article of faith, or to fix the meaning of Scripture, so as to oblige others to submit to their decisions; yet those who constitute a Christian society have proper authority to determine, what articles of faith they themselves embrace, or in what manner they understand the Scriptures, and what they would have their ministers believe and preach; and consequently, they have authority to compose a body of doctrines, the belief of which they think an essential qualification of those,

or church communion among them. So that when any person is convicted of an opinion contrary to their confession, he is not to be considered as properly chargeable with absolute heresy, but as holding a principle which, in their view, is heresy, and which they are seriously persuaded is of such a pernicious tendency, that they cannot receive any man, as a minister or brother, who maintains it.

Hence it is manifest, that the determinations of any body of men concerning articles of faith, are not founded upon any supposed authority, which they have to govern the consciences of others, or to make creeds for them; but upon the natural right which all men and all societies have to follow the dictates of their own understanding, and to embrace and support that scheme of religion, in which they perceive the greatest evidence of divine truth. a word, that use of confessions, which we dieve to be proper and beneficil, rests upon that unalienable rivilege of a rational creature,e right of private judgment. And all the considerations,

In

which the warmest advocates of freedom can urge to heighten its excellence, we shall cordially approve as important advantages to our own cause; since we shall thereby have at least the same liberty to value and support confessions, as others have to despise and reject them.

If indeed churches should oblige any person to incorporate with them and subscribe to their constitutions; if they should either force him to give an assent to their established confes

mosity; but with regard to Protestant governments, though enemies have frequently abused their influence with government, both in Germany and other parts of Europe, and even in England and America, to injure the brethren, they have not succeeded; and no opposition has been made, but rather much good-will shown by the different governments, under which the settlements of the brethren exist. Q. What are your funds?

A. Chiefly the voluntary contributions of the members of the church. Each settlement in Christian countries endeavours to support itself; the missions depend entirely upon voluntary donations and subscriptions.

Q. What is the number of your missionaries?

A. In 1805, about 170 brethren and sisters were employed in the different missions of the brethren.

Q. Are they men of education or not?

A. They are not, in general, chosen from among men of letters, who, by their habits, are not so well fitted for the arduous service of our missions. This is proved by experience. There are therefore but few of that description among them. Persons, brought up to some trade, well versed in the Scriptures, and above all, having the grace of God in their hearts, and fervent zeal for the salvation of their fellow-men, but tempered with true humility of spirit, are found to be the most successful missionaries.

For the better management of the affairs of the brethren's missions, a committee is appointed by the general synods, (being a division of a conference or board of bishops and elders, chosen by the synods for the general superintendency of the church, and called the elders' conference of the Unity) which, in conjunction with the whole board, directs all missionary concerns. But as these are very extensive, societies have been formed in aid of the said committee. Such are, the brethren's society for the furtherance of the gospel among the heathen, in London; the society for the propagation of the gospel, established at Zeist, in Holland; another at Bethlehem, in Pennsylvania, and a fourth at Salem, in N. Carolina:* But

....

The Rev. Mr. Loskiel, of Bethle

all these societies act under a delegated authority.

Q. What instructions do you give your missionaries?

A. The brethren educate none of their people for the express purpose of being employed as missionaries, as they believe that that peculiar call must be from God himself, and that he is not confined to any human acquirements. But when the motives of a person offering himself for the work have been well examined, and found to be of a genuine kind, and he has been appointed to that service, he is admonished to make the Bible his chief study, to pray that the Spirit of truth would explain, and lead him into all the truth, that from the experience of his own heart, he may testify of the love of God, and invite lost men to come to Christ for salvation.

Q. What are the places to which you have already sent missions, and what other places do you contemplate for them?

A. To Greenland, Labrador, the back settlements of Pennsylvania, N. Carolina; to the West India islands -St. Thomas. St. Croix, St. Jan, Barbadoes, St. Kitts, Antigua, Jamaica, Tobago, (just now suspended;) Paramaribo in S. America: to the Free Negroes, and Arawack Indians on the Corentyn; to the Hottentots at the Cape of Good-Hope, and to the Calmucks in Russian Asia near Astrachan. It may be easily conceived that to supply so many establishments with missionaries in succession, is as much as so small a church can do, as upwards of twenty vacancies, at an average, occur in a year. New missions therefore are not just now in contemplation, though many offers are continually made to the brethren for that purpose..

Q. What has been your success hitherto ?

A. The brethren have laboured

hem, informs the committee, that the fellowship at Salem, N. Carolina, is not a distinct society, but belongs to the incorporated society for the propagation of the gospel among the heathen, established at Bethlehem, Northampton county, Pennsylvania. Hence it appears that they have but three societies: one at London; one at Zeist, in Holland; and another at Bethlehem, in N. Američą,

they be; therefore we, who think otherwise, and believe the doc trines of religion of great moment, must act in contradiction to our understandings, and, in order to gratify their inclinations, must be indifferent as to the interests of truth, and give ourselves little concern about what ministers believe and teach. It may be added as another consequence of their reasonings, that because they are fully satisfied as to the orthodoxy of a man, if he own the Scriptures and express his sentiments in the precise words found there, though he decline giving his assent to doctrines expressed in any other terms; therefore we, who are persuaded, that many men understand scripture phrases in a manner quite opposite to what we think the true sense, and under that fair varnish conceal the most unscriptural schemes;we who accordingly believe, that their using scripture phrases is no evidence what kind of doc trine they embrace, must, not withstanding, be content with their false test of orthodoxy, and if we act with serious caution, must be stigmatized, as morose, narrow-minded bigots.

These are some of the wonderful benefits which we owe to them, who profess to be most zealous for liberty and the right of private judgment. This is the noble freedom, to which they would elevate us; a freedom which would dissolve the bonds of Christian societies, and the unity of faith; a freedom which would confound truth and error, light and darkness, the church and the world; a freedom which would impose upon us, if not ar ticles of faith, at least a disbelief

and contempt of them, and would dictate its own airy notions in as magisterial and imperious a manner, as the pontificate ever assumed.

Is there not ground for this rebuke? Have not the favourite words, liberty, free inquiry,private judgment, charity, &c. been perverted to an uncertain and dangerous signification, and prostituted to the most unworthy purposes? Have they not been instruments of infidelity, and a fair mask, under which apostacy from Chris tianity and hatred of all goodness have disguised themselves? Do we not know that in the mouths, and in the lives of many, liberty means licentiousness, a contempt of the restraints of virtue and religion? Do we not see that the adversaries of creeds are as fond of their own notions, and as obstinate in maintaining them, and look with as much disdain on those who differ from them, as the most zealous devotees of orthodoxy Are they not as impatient of tradiction? Do they not shew themselves capable of as much w rmth and rudeness? What writers in all the world treat their opponents with more contempt, display an air of higher superiority, or are more fondly addicted to their own schemes, than those who make the loudest pretensions to candour and liberality? PASTOR.