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as if my life would be a cheap sacrifice for the Unity of Zion." "How often have I dwelt upon the MODE in which ALONE it seemed to my mind, that such a result could be accomplished, until I almost imagined that the time had come."

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And what is that "mode," that "only" mode, "in which alone" this unity can be effected? Hear Bishop Hopkins' plan: "At length the favored hour is come, and lo! a general cry is heard, for a UNIVERSAL COUNCIL." He would have it held on our free soil; in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. "Rome hears, and responds to the appeal." "Her hierarchy all consent to the proposed pacification, and appoint their delegates; men unsurpassed in varied learning, and renowned for dialectic skill." "Greece gladly unites." "Protestant Germany,"-yes! Protestant Germany; Transcendentalists, Neologists-men denying the Lord that bought them: denying the inspiration of the Scriptures, and the very personality of the Holy Ghost-even these the Bishop greets, as they enter the precincts of the Universal Council! And England? " England, the friend of toleration; and now, more than ever, feeling the absolute necessity of religious unity: England, chafed and irritated by the demons of sectarian zeal; once revolutionized by the fury of fanaticism, and now bleeding under the lash of civil discord, ** England hails the summons, and joyfully yields her treasures to the work which promises to make the Holy Catholic Church one again."

England the friend of toleration! Shades of Bishop Bonner and Archbishop Laud! England, "chafed by the demons of sectarian zeal?" Marvellously conciliatory to the children of them who suffered imprisonment, banishment or death, for freedom to worship God! But let that pass.

The Grand Council is assembled. Papists, Neologists, Prelatists all are there. But for the Dissenters-the Puritans, the Methodists, the Baptists-the good Bishop gives them no summons. It might not be agreeable to the company invited, to summon any that are not of the "Catholic Church." The Council is assembled. And now for the basis on which to agree: WHAT IS THE RULE AND JUDGE OF FAITH?

In another publication, Bishop Hopkins has stood for the Bible alone: but now, in the Universal Council, he will give up that principle for the sake of Union with Romanists. On what Rule of Faith he would agree with the German Neologists, who deny both inspiration and the Holy Ghost, it does not appear. But hear the Bishop in his own words (p. 306), " And now the principle is to be settled, which shall guide the deliberations of this august body. And, thank God, there can be no serious difficulty in the search; for the principles avowed by the Church of Rome may be made to quadrate sufficiently with the principles of the Re

formation, when the minds of Christians are governed by the pure desire of truth and of unity. THE BIBLE AND APOSTOLICAL TRADITION, are the standards to which the Church of Rome has always professed to appeal; and she consents to try her apostolical traditions by the TESTIMONY OF THE FATHERS."

"The Word of God, therefore, AND THE WRITINGS OF the Fathers, being in fact the only authorities to which the great divisions of the Christian world ever have appealed, TO THESE THE APPEAL MUST NOW BE MADE." Alas, alas! Bishop Hop. kins will now trust a Council of Papists, Greeks, High Churchmen and Neologists, to settle authoritatively the faith of the world, on the basis of Scripture and tradition, interpreted by the Fathers! And that with the express understanding, that "The principles of the Church of Rome may be made to quadrate sufficiently with the principles of the Reformation!" "And now," he says, "behold the work is done: the trumpet of the Christian Jubilee is blown throughout the earth."

Yes; a Holy Alliance to dethrone the Lord Jesus Christ, and to give his seat and sceptre into the hands of a human hierarchy! A Holy Alliance to throw down the Bible from the altar of God, and to exalt a mingled creed, the fruit of an incestuous compromise between truth and falsehood! This is to give peace to Zion! This is to bind Christians in uniformity! Just as if when men cannot be made to agree by the clear truth and authority of God, they can be made to agree by the wisdom and mandates of such a mongrel assembly,-ycleped a " Universal Council."

We can point Bishop Hopkins to a shorter, surer, safer way to Christian unity. Bind each congregation and each Christian to God's Word and to Christ's commandments alone. The ordinances and commandments of men, throw them all aside. Leave each congregation, and each Christian, to go to his Bible for himself. Whatever congregations hold the essentials of Christianity, and conscientiously observe Christ's ordinances; hold them as true Churches; call them not sectarians or schismatics; no, nor dissenters. Lift everywhere the standard of mutual respect and love, emblazoned with these sentences of Divine truth: "LET EVERY MAN BE FULLY PERSUADED IN HIS OWN MIND." "WHO ART THOU THAT JUDGEST ANOTHER MAN'S SERVANT." "WHY DOST THOU JUDGE THY BROTHER? OR WHY DOST THOU SET AT NAUGHT THY BROTHER?" "NOT AS LORDS OVER GOD'S HERITAGE BUT AS ENSAMPLES TO THE FLOCK." This done, blow the trumpet of Jubilee as loud and as long as you please. If not uniformity, there is essential unity; all that Christ has made provision for, or required. Uniformity, he has forbidden any man, or any Church to require. "Let not him

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that eateth, despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not, judge him that eateth; for God hath received him." Let us not, therefore, judge one another any more; but judge this, that no man put a stumbling-block, or an occasion to fall, in his brother's way."*

It is time to turn from these notions of schism, so absurd in themselves, and so utterly inconsistent with the least shadow of Christian liberty, to the IDEA OF SCHISM SET FORTH IN THE WORD OF GOD.

We shall find there, no allusion to such thing as schism, consisting in breaking away from the domination of Popes, Councils, Prelates, or of the "Catholic" Church. The Word of God charges no schism upon those who follow simply the ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ, and reject the mere ordinances and commandments of men. It does not forbid us to separate from false teachers, whatever be their official character; but, on the contrary, requires us to reject such a teacher, though he were an Apostle or an Angel from Heaven. The Schism of which the New Testament speaks, is internal dissension, within the bosom of the same Church. Thus, Rom. xvi. 17, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark those which cause divisions" (diyooraσias) CONTRARY TO THE DOCTRINE which ye have heard, and AVOID THEM." Is it schism, then, to "avoid" a bishop who teaches another Gospel contrary to the DOCTRINE that we have heard? Again, 1 Cor. i. 11, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that there be no DIVISIONS (σχισματα, schisms)" among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together IN

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*The English Reformers, while they greatly erred in requiring uniformity at home, nevertheless, acted on these principles with regard to Christians abroad. Mr. Chapin, in his Primitive Church, with his usual assurance, says, " The Episcopal Church has never renounced the divine institution of Episcopacy, nor has she ever acknowledged the orders of any one who had not been Episcopally ordained." I have before shown that the English Reformers did not believe in the divine institution of Episcopacy; and it is notorious that they uniformly treated the nonEpiscopal foreign Churches and ministers as true Churches and true ministers. Bishop Burnet, whose authority on this point is unquestionable, says, "Whatever some hotter spirits have thought of this since that time, yet we are very sure that not only those who penned the Articles, but the body of this Church for about half an age after, did ** * acknowledge the foreign Churches so constituted, to be true Churches as to all the essentials of a Church." CHILLING WORTH denies that Luther and the other Reformers were schismatics for leaving Rome; and maintains that they were "a part of the Church, and still continued so; and therefore could no more separate from the whole than from themselves." Even HOOKER (Book 5, § 68) says, "The Church is a name which art has given to the professors of the true religion. We find that accordingly the Apostles do everywhere distinguish the Church from Infidels and Jews; accounting THEM WHICH CALL UPON THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, TO BE HIS CHURCH;" and any other essential thing put into the definition of the Church, Hooker maintains to be wrong. He expressly says (Book 7, §14) that "There may be sometimes very just and sufficient reasons to allow ordination without a Bishop. ** And therefore we are not simply, without exception, to urge a lineal descent ✶ ✶ by continued succession of Bishops in every effectual ordination."

THE SAME MIND, and IN THE SAME JUDGMENT; for it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are CONTENTIONS among you." Is there no schism in the Episcopal Church, because they all bow to the authority of bishops, all use the Liturgy, and all the priests wear gowns and surplices; while, nevertheless, cONTENTIONS about Puseyism are rending the very bowels of the Church, and forbid them to be "in the same mind," and in the "same judgment?" In like manner, in 1 Cor.xii. 25, it is said, "That there should be no SCHISM in the body, BUT THAT THE MEMBERS SHOULD HAVE THE SAME CARE ONE FOR ANOTHER."

The prelatical notion of schism is unfounded in Scripture: an engine invented to bind the consciences of men in the chains of despotism; to detach Christ's people from their allegiance to His truth and throne, and to bind them to the usurped power of a human hierarchy. An Apostle of old found occasion to speak of some who would burden Christianity by the addition of human rites. "Who," says he, "came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus; THAT THEY MIGHT BRING US INTO BONDAGE: to whom we gave place by subjection, NO, NOT FOR AN HOUR." How sad a case the Apostle would have been in, had these imposers of human rituals turned round and branded him as a Schismatic, because he declined to wear the yoke which they had so kindly made for him!

XXI.

THE CHURCH.

NO NATIONAL PROVINCIAL OR DIOCESAN CHURCH RECOGNIZED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

The Church invisible; partly on earth, partly in heaven. The Church on earth, composed of all Christ's people, in all communions; its members known only to God. The Church as composed of visible organizations. No National, Provincial, or Diocesan organization or authority, recognized in the New Testament. Slater's argument concerning the Churches of Antioch and Jerusalem, answered by Scrip

ture.

THE New Testament uses the word "Church" in several

senses:

1. AS COMPRISING ALL THE PEOPLE OF GOD, IN ALL LANDS, OF ALL AGES, THOSE ON EARTH, AND THOSE IN HEAVEN. Thus: Eph. i. 22, 23, "And gave him to be head over all things To THE CHURCH, which is his body; the fullness of him that filleth all in all." This is that Universal or Catholic Church, of which it is said, Eph. v. 25, 27, "As Christ loved the CHURCH, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word; that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." This is that Church, of which it is said, Col. i. 18, 20, " And he is the head of the BODY, THE CHURCH;" "and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him I say whether they be THINGS IN EARTH OR THINGS IN HEAVEN."

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But this Catholic Church, of all times and nations, part of which is on earth and part in heaven, is no earthly organization. It is the Church invisible, whose members are found in all communions, and who are known only to God. Not every one in any earthly communion belongs to this invisible Church; no rites, no sacraments, no creeds, can distinguish them; they are not all Israel who are of Israel; but "the Lord knoweth them that are his."

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