that pride of superior wisdom, which shews itself in presuming to alter the instituted ordinances of God; the other, that conceit of superior holiness and spiritual gifts, which incites its deluded possessors to resist his appointed ministers, and to obtrude themselves into sacred offices, which they have no other title to undertake, than that furnished them by their own arrogant opinion of their personal merits and qualifications. In either case, individual offenders against established order may be so far blinded as to suppose, that they are doing God service: but the "envying, strife, and

divisions," which they will ever produce in the Church, will furnish melancholy proof that such labourers s❝ know not what "manner of spirit they are of;" and that, however they may imagine themselves to be acting under the sanction and direction of divine authority, they are still in truth carnal, and walk as men." To trace to their source the various divisions which the annals of the Church have recorded, and to shew how far each of them might in its

66

s Luke ix. 55.

commencement be referred to one of these modifications of pride, as its probable cause, would be an invidious, though not perhaps a difficult task.

The student in ecclesiastical history, once possessed of those general principles of church communion with which a careful examination of Scripture will furnish him, may however be safely left to pursue the inquiry for himself. They will enable him to recognize legitimate ecclesiastical authority, amidst the conflicting assertions and confident claims of those, who either wholly deny its existence, or affirm that it reposes in themselves: they will instruct him to distinguish the faith once delivered to

the saints" from the errors of its pretended disciples; and convince him, that Christianity itself is not chargeable with the miseries and conflicts, which those who are ignorant of its true spirit have introduced among its professors.

The proper line of discrimination however must be carefully drawn, that due credit for conscientious motives may be t Jude 3.

given to many who have separated from the Church; that ample allowances may be made for prejudices of education, and for all the various circumstances which give a tone and colour to human opinion, and often imperceptibly bias the judgment, and prevent the free exertion of the reasoning faculty. We may humbly hope that a merciful God, who knows whereof we are made, and alone can mark the operation of those secret springs which actuate the conduct of individuals, will look with an eye of mercy upon all who so wander from his fold; and thus hoping, we shall remember that he who taught us "" not to

66

judge or set at nought our brother," taught us also to desire and to seek the good of all. In our conduct therefore and demeanour towards individuals, whatever may be their religious opinions or profession, we are to hold the truth in love; neither compromising it from tenderness to those by whom it is rejected, nor tempted by our zeal for its support to forget the great duty of charity. For

though the Scriptures declare that all divisions among Christians originally spring from the same evil root of pride, yet divisions once produced may be perpetuated upon less reprehensible principles; and however the first authors of heresies or schisms may be amenable to that fearful woe denounced by our Saviour himself against those who cause offences; yet we trust that many, whom their persua sions or example may have led into error; many, who have received it as an hereditary possession, and seem scarcely to have possessed the opportunity or the means of emancipating themselves from those prejudices, in which education and habit have involved them; may be exempted from much of their guilt and their condemnation. But be this as it may, our duty cannot be mistaken; y“ as far as lieth "in us, we must live peaceably" with such persons, though we condemn their errors; and while we contend earnestly for the discipline as well as doctrine of the Church,

x Matt. xviii. 7.

z See Note XCII. Appendix.

y Rom. xii. 18.

as becomes its appointed guardians; in the true spirit of Christian charity, we should never cease to pour forth our earnest prayers to God, that he would be pleased to recall them to the truth.

In proceeding therefore to apply these observations to the origin of those divisions, which have continually disturbed our Church from the period of the Reformation to the present hour; it is intended rather to inquire into the circumstances which produced them, than the motives of those by whom they may have been occasioned or promoted. The causes of religious disunion, and the motives of its authors, are indeed declared in general terms by the Spirit of truth. But how far the general censures and denunciations of holy Writ may be applicable to particular cases, it will ever be difficult and hazardous to determine: a the heart is deceitful above "all things;" and many are they whom it teaches to b" call evil good, and good evil;" to fancy themselves desirous of

66

a Jeremiah xvii. 9.

b Isaiah v. 20.