England, Ireland, &c. since the reformation; and all which have spread, and are spreading through this vast continent-that those heroes of the truth, who, though they bowed not to the mitre, rescued millions from the man of sin, lighted up the lamp of genuine religion, and left it, burning with a pure and steady flame to the generation following— that all those faithful ministers, and all those private christians, who, though not of the hierarchy, adorned the doctrine of God their Saviour, living in faith, dying in faith; scores, hundreds, thousands of them going away to their father's house under the strong consolations of the Holy Ghost, with anticipated heaven in their hearts, and its hallelujahs on their lips-that all, all were without the pale of the visible church; were destitute of covenanted grace; and left the world without any chance for eternal life, but that unpledged, unpromised mercy which their accusers charitably hope may be extended to such as labour under involuntary or unavoidable errour; and this merely because they renounced Episcopacy—are positions of such deep-toned horrour as may well make our hair stand up, "like quills upon the fretful porcupine;" and freeze the warm blood at its fountain. We say this sentance has been pronounced upon millions of the dead and of the living, merely because they were not, or are not, Episcopal. For Mr. H. and his friends have declared in substance, what their famous DODWELL has declared in form,

that, "the alone want of communion with the bishop, makes persons aliens from God and Christ, and strangers from the covenants of promise, and the commonwealth of Israel!”*

We shall hardly be accused of transgressing the bounds of moderation, when we demand for such assertions, proof which demolishes cavil, and shuts the mouth of reply. And if their authors cannot produce it; if they be not ready with demonstration, such as shall make "assurance double sure,' they must abide the consequences of their temerity.

What the nature of their proof is, and how it will bear them out, we shall enable the reader to judge before we finish this review. We pause to make two observations.

1. The writers with whom we have to do, lay upon the form of church government a stress which is not laid upon it in the word of God. We are far from insinuating that the question is of small moment; we are persuaded, on the contrary, that it is of great moment; and that Christians are chargeable with much sin for the indifference which prevails among them concerning it. We can never grant that the appointments of our Lord Jesus Christ may be innocently neglected; nor

*That M. H. treads closely after Dodwell, see “ Companion for the Festivals and Fasts,” p. 59. And that the author of " memorial of the late Bishop Hobart," if a judgment may be drawn from his remerks upon these Essays, treads equally close. See " memorial."

that any one is excusable for not endeavouring to satisfy himself what these appointments are. But we are very sure that particular views of external church-order, are not the hinging point of salvation. Whether a man shall go to heaven or to hell, will be decided by another inquiry than whether he was an Episcopalian, a Presbyterian, or an Independent. The scriptures have fixed that inquiry to this point, whether he was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ or not? He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: and he that believeth not, shall be damned. Again. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. The reverse is, he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten son of God. According to these passages, faith in the Lord Jesus as he is exhibited in the Gospel, is "the indispensable condition of salvation."According to Mr. H. and his compeers, participation of Christian ordinances at the hands of the Episcopal priesthood, is the indispensable condition of salvation. We are not ignorant that in other sections of his book, Mr. H. dwells with interest and force, on the necessity of a living and productive faith. We are glad to see so many things in a strain much more evangelical than pervades most of the ministrations in his church. But this inspires us with the deeper regret on account of the "dead flies" among the precious "ointment." Nor can we suppress our convic

tion, that in representing an adherence to Episcopacy as "the indispensable condition of salvation,” himself, and DAUBENY, and a legion more, have done much toward misleading men's minds as to the foundation of eternal hope. That which wounds the bosom of tender piety, and of which we utterly deny the correctness, is their placing the external order of the church upon a level with the merits of our Lord Jesus, in the article of acceptance before God. We are positively told that soundness in the former is "the indispensable condition of salvation;" and faith in the latter cannot possibly be any more. Nay, with respect to non-episcopalians, Episcopacy is of primary, and faith in the Redeemer of secondary, importance: for we are told again, that "whoever is in communion with the bishop, the supreme Governor of the church upon earth, is in communion with Christ the head of it; and whoever is not in communion with the bishop, is thereby cut off from communion with Christ:" and this is said to be a "general conclusion"" established" by "the uniform testimony of ALL the apostolic and primitive writers."* After perusing the paragraph, we were held in suspense between the gaze of astonishment and the swell of indignation. Why, he who is acquainted with facts well knows; these gen

*Companion for the Festivals and Fasts, p. 59. from Daubeny. Quere. How many bow-shots are such writers off from the territory of "our sovereign Lord the Pope?"

tlemen ought to know; and, in due season, others whom it concerns shall know. The meaning is not obscure. There is no access to communion with Christ, but through communion with the bishop. Yet, Mr. H. himself being judge, true faith vitally unites its possessor to the Redeemer ;* and in this "vital union" originates all communion with him. If, therefore, faith in Christ produces communion with him, and this communion is inaccessible but through the medium of the bishop, it follows that faith in Christ is impossible where there is no communion with the bishop: and that all non-episcopalians are, of necessity, infidels. And thus our position is proved, that Episcopacy is held up as of primary, and faith in Christ as of secondary, importance. For as both are "indispensable conditions of salvation," that one upon which the existence of the other depends, must be the more important of the two. And this is not an example of that sort of priority which obtains in the relation of means to ends; the use of the former preceding the attainment of the latter; so that the end, which is the greater, presupposes and follows the means, which are the less. The case before us, we say, is not of this sort: because we have access to the testimony of God, which must be believed in order to salvation, without going through the gate of Episco

* Companion for the Altar; meditation for Thursday.