popes have no foundation, either in Scripture or in the practice of antiquity. I have shewn also, upon how different a footing stands the question between us and the papists from what it does between us and the protestant dissenters. For, according to what I have thus laid before you, as well from the practice of all antiquity, as from Scripture, and I may add, (for, indeed, all the works of God harmonize together,) from the nature of the thing, that we, as forming no part of the national church of Rome could not be bound to pay any obedience to that see, nor to govern ourselves by her decrees. We could only be connected with her in that common bond of charity and of fellowship which should join together all the churches of Christ; and which will always subsist, where it is not broken by any fundamental errors in doctrine, or by extravagant and inadmissible claims of superiority or of independence on the one part or on the other.

But, as to the body of English dissenters, they, as born within her bosom, are, or should be, according to the same usage of antiquity, language of Scripture, and nature of the thing, members of our church; and as such, are bound to conform to her discipline. This, indeed, neither they nor any other individuals are bound to do to every extent; for, as I have before admitted, they may shew, if such were the case,

that the terms of communion which she requires are contrary to God's word, and that they cannot continue in conformity to her without endangering their eternal salvation. Certainly, a case of that kind, properly made out, would be a sufficient excuse and ground of separation. But, this is what has never been made out; no, nor ever pretended by the greater part of the dissenters. They have, therefore, been obliged to recur to such principles as I have before shewn to militate not only against all ecclesias tical discipline, but against the very words of Scripture.

On the other hand, and in the second place, we are prepared to shew that the church of Rome did, and does exact from all her members such terms as are both sinful and dangerous, that they are such as therefore would have justified us, even if we had been a part of her particular church, in separating from her; nay, would have made it our duty, as it is the duty of every one of ber members at this day, to break from her communion.

And this is what I shall in my two next discourses insist upon, both for the sake of confirming those who hear me, in the true and genuine principles of the reformation, as also for the sake of our brethren who remain within the pale of that church, and who, indeed, if any particular proof were wanting of their being

what they are, appear from some late publications of two of their bishops, to be still kept in the same gross ignorance of the true principles of Christianity, to be still in "the very gall of "bitterness*." To endeavour to chase that darkness from their eyes, is certainly whenever the opportunity offers, our duty; though shut out and guarded as they are from access to the true light, it is a task little better than hopeless. One way, indeed, there is, which is open to us at all times, and which must be profitable for that as for every good purpose. Let us not only preach the good doctrine, but practise it. Let us, therefore, not spare to pray God that he would graciously assist us in these as in all our endeavours to serve him; that thus, under the guidance of his Holy Spirit, and to the edification and instruction even of those who hold us in execration and contempt, "our light may "so shine before men, that they may see our "good works, and glorify our Father which is "in Heaven."

9 Dr. Troy's Pastoral Letter, and Dr. Milner's various publi@ations.

Acts viii. 23.

SERMON V.

2 TIM. iii. 5.

Having a Form of Godliness, but denying the
Power thereof.

THERE is a wonderful resemblance, as I have already had an opportunity of pointing out, between the heresies of the earlier ages, and those of modern times. Error, indeed, and more especially religious error, in all its endless varieties, almost always proceeds from the same motives, tends to the same ends, and works by the same means. We must not be surprised, therefore, if we find the false teachers among the first Christians, recommending themselves to their disciples by nearly the same pretences

2

as were held forth by those who, in later ages, have succeeded them in the great career of imposition and fraud. We shall find, in particular, what I hinted in my first discourse, to be true, that the greatest dangers to which the true religion has been exposed, have proceeded, not so much from those who openly rejected its doctrines, as from those who partly held, and by corrupting, undermined the faith. True piety and true devotion are, indeed, by the appointment of our gracious Maker, so congenial with the mind of man, that they are readily received, and not without great difficulty parted with. Even they who are the most dissolute and abandoned in their lives, who, the mc: entirely in practice cast off the fear of God and the belief of his word, do yet seldom venture publicly to avow, or unqualifiedly to profess that they do so. And this is shewn even in the most avowed adversaries and oppugners of the truth. For atheism has never been to any great extent, or, at least, has not continued for any length of time to be in fashion. On the contrary, the most powerful attacks upon Revelation which have been made in our days have originated with those who affected a great zeal for the honour of God, and declared their only anxiety to be the reclaiming of mankind from what they called superstition, and the confining of them strictly to that knowledge of their Maker,