varieties which could be put in competition with it? When once, therefore, an inquirer is directed to rest on human ministry, and when he comes to discover that the priestly college, the priestly education, holy orders, the distinction of clergy from laity, the clerical character, title, and costume, the clerical right to preach and administer the sacraments, and the clerical prerogative of conveying that right, are to be had at the fountain-head at Romethat from Rome all these things were derived; and that at Rome they all flourish in native splendour, inimitable in any other communion-he must naturally incline to go direct to the fountainhead for that which he had been falsely taught is a part of Christianity. Neither can we doubt that Popery is triumphing now through this obvious process of thought; for I profess not to understand, how, admitting the clerical character and prerogatives obtainable by clerical ordination, it is possible to rest content with the imperfect and stolen orders of the church of England. "If there is a link out of a chain, it seems to matter very little whether it is wanting at one end or the other," the Anglican priest* remarks, in commenting on the "orders" of the dissenters, forgetting that he himself is a dissenter from the mother church, and that it belongs to that church alone to use such a reproof, which is applicable to every Protestant that tampers with "the apostolical succession."

As, then, preaching justification by faith without works, that is, asserting that he who does not work, but instead of working, believes in that God who justifies ungodly persons, is the only method of meeting Rome in her doctrinal power, so the assertion of liberty of ministry for all believers, is the only method of meeting Rome's pretension to clerical pre-eminence, a pretension before which all must succumb who in any way acknowledge the clerical order. There is no medium, no resting-place for a candid inquirer between the two extremes-the ministry of the Spirit as revealed in the word of God, or human ministry as exhibited by the ancient church of Rome. Either take liberty of ministry for all the saints, from the supernal and free Jerusalem, "the mother of us all;" or, rejecting this, then accept the clerical order from Rome, the mother of all clergymen, and the mistress of all ecclesiastical bonds

men.

The Rev. S. B. Maitland, in his publication, entitled "The Voluntary System," has thus recorded a conversation he had with a young dissenting minister, not yet ordained, and therefore not allowed to administer the sacraments. "Ask Mr. and Mr. the two deacons of your meeting, to ordain you."—" Well, but how could they do it?"-"Why not?" Why, you know they are not ministers."—"Indeed! then you think it necessary that they should have been ordained themselves?"Why, yes; does not every body think so?"-"I do not know: but it appears to me that you hold the doctrine of apostolic succession; for if there is a link out of a chain, it seems to me to matter very little whether it is wanting at one end or the other." p. 256.

46

Let not these remarks, however, be interpreted as belonging to the controversy between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. That controversy enters not, I trust, into any part of this inquiry, which, as it professes to be an examination of the Scriptures, for the purpose of vindicating certain scriptural truths of deep value to the church of God, can only incidentally touch on the divisions of professing Christendom. In vain shall we seek for either Papist or Protestant in the New Testament, or for their churches under any name, or any representation. In God's word we find only two antagonist sects; that of the world and that of grace; known also by the names of the children of the devil and the children of God; of the sons of darkness and the sons of light; the body of Christ and the children of wrath. But wherever we find the principles of this world admitted into any system of professing Christianity, there we find a portion of that which is technically called "Popery," and which is nothing but the fulness of this world's principles, and the entire satisfaction of all the desires of the carnal mind in its notions about religion. Now, with the church of England and the dissenters, there is much of the elements of this world; much that proves that their citizenship is not, and that they do not wish it to be in heavenly places. They are marshalled under opposing banners for an earthly portion; they both teach that politics should be "cultivated religiously;" and they both give the whole weight of their influence to the political parties of the day; nay, to such an extent is this rivalry carried on, that their very places of worship are rearing as if they were fortresses and castles for a civil war. "It seems to be the present policy of the church of England to build us down and build us out," says one of the antagonists; "but we must catch the building spirit of the age; we must build, build, build. This should be our cry, MORE PLACES OF WORSHIP. It may be well enough to form protective societies for the defence of our civil rights; but our best defence, under God, is in our numbers; numbers carry weight and influence. We cannot multiply our persons, unless we multiply our places. We must not wait for congregations to be gathered before we build; we must build to gather."

In the meanwhile, on these very principles, the common enemy of all the Protestant sects is advancing with a rapidity that alarms them all; and he who, ages ago, had the whole earthly portion, for parts of which others are now contending, is reviving his claim and taking active measures to recover it.

"I claim to retain the favour of the state," says the church, "I claim an equality in all rights of earthly citizenship," says the dissenter but the imperial Priest of the seven hills cries out, "I claim dominion over all the works of God's hands; all things are put under my feet; all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the sea; for of me it is written, Behold, I have set thee up over nations, and over kingdoms, t

one thing to love all God's children though entangled in sects, and another to avoid the meshes of their captivity. The oneness of thought, mind, and action, required of the Church of God may be seen in the following texts :-John xiii. 34, 35; xvii. 23; Acts iv. 32; Acts xx. 29, 30; Rom. xii. 16; xv. 5, 6; xvi. 17; 1 Cor. i. 10; xii. 25; 2 Cor. xiii. 11; Gal. i. 9; Eph. iv. 14; Phil. ii. 2, 3; iii. 16, 17; 1 Thess. v. 13; 2 Thess. iii. 6; 1 Tim. i. 3—6; vi. 3, 20; 2 Tim. iv. 3, 4; 2 John 9.