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and through the alone mediation of the only-begotten Son of God, believe in and worship the eternal mind, the one supreme spirit, in hope of a glorious immortality, through the sanctification of the Holy Ghost. These are the things the Lord came down to teach mankind. For the New Testament itself then we must declare, and look upon it as the only guide, or rule of faith. It is now the only deliverer of the declarations of our Lord: and the rule in our enquiry is, that every thing necessary to be believed by a Christian, is in those books not left to be gathered by consequences, or implications; but the things necessary to obtain the favour of God promised to Christians are expressly declared. If this was not the case-if things absolutely necessary were not expressly proclaimed to be so, the gospel revelation would be no rule at all*.

• To the plain and satisfactory method of seeking for the faith in the sacred books, there are many adversaries and many objections raised. There are, says a great man, a very numerous body of Christians who know no other guides but the living guides of the present church; and acknowledge no other faith, for the faith once delilivered to the saints, but that which is now delivered to them by their present rulers, as such.

To establish this point, the greater part of these lay down the infallibility of the present church, and of every

But it is time to tell my reader the story of the beautiful HARRIOT NOEL, which I promised in a

man of the past ages, through whose mouth, or by whose hands, the present traditions of faith have descended to them. And this, indeed, would be a very good method, if that single proof of infallibility could be proved. But this is a point so gross, and so utterly void of all proof, that a great body of the Christian world have broke loose from the power of this monster, and declared for the New Testament itself, as the only guide or rule of faith; the only deliverer of the faith to us of later ages.

When this comes however to be put in practice, too many of the same persons who set the scriptures up as the only guide, turn round on a sudden, and let us know, that they mean by it, not these sacred original writings themselves, but the interpretations, or sense, put upon them by our spiritual superiors, to which we are bound to submit, and put under an obligation to find that to be the truth which is taught by these leaders.

But to this we reply with reason, that though we ought to pay a regard of serious attention to those whose business it is to find out and dispense the truth, and shew the respect of a due examination of what they affirm; yet we must not yield the submission due only to infallibility. It is our glory not to submit to the voice of any man. We must reserve that regard, for God, and for Christ, in matters of faith once delivered to the saints.

Others, again, of the reformed, tell us, that the surer way of knowing what was delivered above eighteen hun

On the glorious

preceding page [p. 5. ante.] first of August, before the beasts were roused from

dred years ago, is to take the original faith from the Councils and Fathers, grave and good men, who met and wrote for the settling of the faith. And to this we answer, that these wise and good men cannot give so good an account of the faith contained in the original books as the books themselves which contain it.

To give an example to the purpose. If we would know the doctrine of the Church of England at the reformation, it is not the writings of particular divines, many years after that period, that we must consult; or any assembly of them; but the authentic acts and declarations, and sermons, made and recorded at the time; for many of the doctrines thought essential at the reformation, have been since changed by gradual alterations; by explainers using their own style and manner of expression, and introducing their own scheme of philosophy, and judgment in commenting, into the scheme of doctrine to be explained. This produces great variation from what was once settled. What was once esteemed fundamental is thereby altered. Let this be applied to the first Christian writers, after the Apostles were departed, and as their language and philosophy were various, and they differed from one another, great variations must creep into the doctrines delivered by them. It follows then, that nothing but what is recorded in the first original books themselves can be firm and stable to us in points of faith. In the original books only we can

their lodges, or the birds had soared upwards, to pour forth their morning harmony; while the mountains and the groves were overshadowed by a dun obscurity, and the dawn still dappled the drowsy east with spots of grey; in short, before the sun was up, or, with his auspicious presence, began to animate inferior nature, I left my chamber, and with my gun and dog, went out to wander over a pleasant country. The different aspects and the various points of view were charming, as the light in fleecy rings increased; and when the whole flood of day descended, the embellished early scene was a fine entertainment. Delighted with the beauties of this morning, I climbed up the mountains, and traversed through many a valley. The game was plenty, and for full five hours, I journeyed onward, without knowing where I was going, or thinking of a return to college.

About nine o'clock however I began to grow very hungry, and was looking round to see if I could discover any proper habitation to my purpose, when I observed in a valley, at some distance, something that looked like a mansion. That way therefore I moved, and with no little difficulty, as I had

find the faith, without that confusion and darkness, which human explications and additions have brought in by way of light.

a precipice to descend, or must go a mile round, to arrive at the place I wanted: down therefore I marched, got a fall by the way that had like to have destroyed me, and after all, found it to be a shed for cattle. The bottom however was very beautiful, and the sides of the hills sweetly copsed with little woods. The valley is so divided, that the rising sun gilds it on the right hand, and when deelining, warms it on the left.

Veniens dextrum latus aspiciat Sol,

Lævum discedens curru fugiente vaporet.

A pretty brook here likewise babbles along, and even Hebrus strays not round Thrace with a purer and cooler stream.

Fons etiam rivo dare nomen idoneus, ut nec
Frigidior Thracam nec purior ambiat Hebrus.

In this sweet and delicious solitude, I crept on for some time, by the side of the murmuring stream, and followed as it winded through the vale, till I came to a little harmonic building, that had every charm and proportion architecture could give it. It was situated on a rising ground in a broad part of the fruitful valley, and surrounded with a garden, that invited a pensive wanderer to roam in its delightful retreats, and walks amazingly beautiful. Every side of this fine spot was planted thick with

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