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not difpute what we elsewhere faid, "that Chrif "tianity permits the profeffion of a foldier." This is, in our mind, very like ftraining at a gnat, and fwallowing a camel; for while we reflect that the permiffion refers to the voluntary adoption of a permanent occupation, whereas the obligation refpects a dutiful fubmiffion to the exifting powers in feafons of real emergency, we cannot view his objection in any other light. But though we have faid that Charity" binds "a man to venture his life at the command of "those in authority," we did not fay that a man should break any Divine command under colour of obedience to earthly power. No. When the fcriptures inculcate fubjection to the higher powers, it is prefuppofed not to interfere with that fill higher authority which is paramount to all other in the hearts and lives of Christians. Upon the fame principle, with the fame qualification neceffarily implied, we made the above statement; and if we have gone "far "beyond the 37th article of the eftablished church," we fhall not on that account withdraw it. Moreover we affure Fidus, (whatever further conclufions he may draw with refpect to us and our charity) that we cannot hold the articles of any church in fo high veneration, as to forget that the scriptures MAY give further and more certain light, as the standards of faith and practice!

Fidus thinks that a Christian fociety may retain a member who is difaffected to the fovereign; and to fupport his opinion he has given a meaning to the word "difaffected," which we conceive has nothing but novelty to recommend it. It relates, (it feems) only to the private judgent of the party concerned, as we learn from

Our

our correfpondent, who thinks it hard to excommunicate a man "because he differs in opi"nion with government, objects to its procedure, "and perhaps thinks another form of government "preferable to that under which he lives." WE fhall go farther, and fay it would be impoffible; for the judgment of man could never take cognizance of what dwells in the heart: and if Fidus will think fit to confider any fin, into which he may suppose a believer to fall, apart from the evidences it derives from expreffions or actions, he may fatisfactorily prove that the chriftian fociety to which the perfon guilty of that fin belongs, has no "authority from God's word" to exclude him from their communion.

Fidus

then might have judged that we would not have made fo unintelligible a ufe of fo ufually intelligible a term. But indeed we would remind him on the one hand, that it feems foreign from what ought to be the purfuits of a Chriftian, to enter even mentally into questions about, this form or that procedure of government; and on the other hand, that there is a certain kind of zeal, called loyalty, (for which Fidus fpeaks of himfelf as Father notorious) which partakes as much of a worldly fpirit, and is as oppofite to the retired unofficious character of a real Chriftian, as that difaffection which we before reproved.

Could we detach from the rest of his epiftle, that part of Fidus's next paragraph, whofe object is to give a favorable turn to a fentence in the London Miffionary Report, upon which we had animadverted in our firft Number; we could view, without displeasure, his attempt at explanation. And we confefs, that an effort to exculpate thofe whom he looked upon as his brethren, though it could not but appear to us an

act

act of ill-judged lenity, was, confidered in itself, rather calculated to make a favorable impreffion on our minds. But when we compare his charitable construction of that paffage, with the (appearance at least of) captioufnefs which pervades his antecedent remarks, the refulting reflections are painful. We have learned, from the comparison, that Fidus is one who knows when to put a favorable conftruction on what he reads, and when an unfavorable; when to fcrew down words to their literal meaning, and when to explain them away altogether. These things ought not so to be, in one who profeffes a candid regard for truth; and if Fidus be what he ftyles himfelf, he will not be difpleafed at this reproof.

Our animadverfions on part of that Report were made, we acknowledge, with "feverity;" -for we brought it, in its plain obvious import, to the light of the Divine word, and that is the moft fevere trial to which unfcriptural tenets can be expofed, and a trial to which the upholders of them are most averfe to fubmit. But we truft we were not influenced by any fuch unchristian spirit, as that word is often ufed to exprefs, when we committed to paper thofe offenfive obfervations. Nor can we agree with Fidus in opinion, that "private admonition" would have been either more proper to be employed, or more likely to be ufeful, than the public rebuke which has been given. An error which (even in his judgment) required " a pub"lic explanation or acknowledgment," certainly called for a public reproof, fince the fame caufe held good for both-the danger of multitudes deriving injury from the principles advanced; and the perfons who would fhrink from a public

reproof,

reproof, we could fcarcely look to for a public acknowledgment. And let Fidus be affured, that we are by no means offended with him for having adopted the very fame mode of conduct towards our publication, which we purfued with refpect to that report; and we trust that, whereever we are erroneous, we fhall not, on any occafion, be hurt at receiving a public reproof, or afhamed to make a public acknowledgment.

We cannot at all difcover Fidus's object in directing us to " Philippians, first chapter, from "the fifteenth to the end of verfe the eighteenth;" for the queftion with us, about the efforts of those men, was not whether Chrift was preached fincerely and of good-will, but whether Chrift was preached at all.

We have now accompanied Fidus to the end of his letter, and have only to add; that, as he has now confirmed his declaration of being "not fatisfied with all" the contents of our work, we expect him, if again he fhould addrefs us, to make good his profeffion of having derived fome pleafure" from the perufal of it. Since he has fhewn his averfion to what he conceives to be error, let him manifeft his love for what he acknowledges to be truth and as he has been forward in oppofing us to detect the one, let him as ftrenuoufly co-operate with us to maintain the other.

N.

IN our last number, we acknowledged the receipt of a letter figned « A Friend to Truth;" (dated, Dublin, Feb. 15, 1804) and we are

now

now glad to declare ourselves much gratified with the views of the Gospel, and love of the Truth, of which the writer feems poffeffed. His fellowship in the cause we have efpoused, he has expreffed in these terms: "I rejoice that the “Lord has stirred up the spirits of fome who are "not afhamed to declare themfelves the Advocates "of that truth which was once delivered to the

"faints; and I hope that your labours in the Lord "will be abundantly bleffed to the little flock of "Chrift, unto whom it is given to know the myf"teries of the kingdom of heaven."-To which WE fay, Amen: for one planteth, and another watereth, but God giveth the increafe.

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Every fatisfaction which the former part of our friend's letter demanded, we are confident it has found in our "anfwer to Fidus" fince published. Wherefore, not to occupy our readers with any thing fuperfluous, we directly pass over to one obfervation, the only one, we imagine, that now needs a particular reply. He remarks that we have been guilty of "mifquoting and mifapplying (in page 67) a paffage from the "book of Job, chap. iv. and ver. 18" because we quoted the text thus, He chargeth his angels with folly, inftead of He charged, &c.; and because we applied it to the elect angels. As to our having changed a tenfe from the paft to the prefent; we are fure that we have rendered the word more conformably to the Hebrew, than the common tranflation; but to take up his time and our's with defending an alteration which does not affect the main fcope of the paffage, would be befides our more important purposes.. To his application of the words to the fallen angels, we object upon feveral grounds. In the first place, the fubfequent verfe fhews Eliphaz

to

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