of the church, widely deviated from Scripture and antiquity. And the fiction of a visible church really in covenant with God, and yet partly made up of hypocrites, has almost universally prevailed. What were the causes of this I ftay not to enquire. One thing, however, deferves to be remarked. Truth, in this particular, has gained fignal advantages over vulgar prejudice and fyftematic ideas, even where it has not enabled men entirely to shake off thefe fetters. Many able Lutheran divines, who efpoufe the common diftinction of a vifible and invifible church, and warmly oppose the Calvinist doctrine of the perseverance of saints, have notwithstanding afferted and proved, that the proper notion of the word church, in the New Testament, is, the congregation of the inwardly fanctified, or, as others express it, those elected to eternal life, and against whom the gates of hell shall never prevail.'.

The spirit and frame of the epiftles would be perfectly unaccountable, should we suppose them partly addreffed to hypocrites and felf-deceivers, who had the form, but were ftrangers to the power of godliness, and thus were every moment in danger of dropping into the pit of destruction. Doubtlefs, had that been the cafe, they would have been calculated, as fermons recorded in other parts of Scripture directed to such people are, to awaken in them a fenfe of their hazardous condition, and to excite them to fly from the wrath

< Every particular church mentioned in the New Teftament, is defcribed as confifting of perfons united to Chrift by faith and love, and inwardly holy. We muft either say that in these times no hypocrites were intermixed with the church, or that, though intermixed with it, they were no part of it. The firft is improbable. The instance of Simon the forcerer proves, that in admitting men to the church, the apoftles did not always act by the gift of difcerning fpirits. Paul confiders it as poffible, that men might give all their goods to feed the poor, and their bodies to be burned, who yet wanted charity, 1 Cor. xiii. 3. Ananias and Sapphira, Hymenæus and Alexander, were for a time deemed fincere by their fellow profeffors. Since then the apoftles addreffed focieties in different places outwardly affociated for divine worship, by properties peculiar to good men, it follows, that they confidered none else as members of these focieties.'

'Churches, therefore, ought to put away from among them, those whofe profeffion is discovered by their practice to have been infincere. To renounce fellowship with fuch, Chriftian charity forbids not, nay duty requires *.'-The authority of Dr Erskine is not brought forward to establish a doubtful point, but to call the attention of Christians to the force of truth on the mind of a man endowed with abilities for judging of it, and

* Differtation on the Character and Privileges of the Apofto lic Churches, paffim.

who must have received a contrary bias both from education and habit.

SECTION III.

HAVING, I hope, established the fact, that the primitive churches were compofed of fuch only of whom it was meet for the apoftles to think that a work of grace was begun in them, we conclude with fome observations on the admiffion of members into churches amongft ourfelves.

The inftructions in the word of God on this fubject, although indirect, are amply fufficient to guide us. We are clearly taught of what members churches of Chrift fhould confift, and the evidences are fully laid down by which we are to diftinguish them.

Those who are connected with churches where difcipline is neglected, excufe themselves for countenancing impure communion by faying they cannot judge the heart. They maintain, that in order to admit a member, we have only to afcertain the irreproachableness of his moral character, and that he poffeffes a competent knowledge of the doctrines of the Scripture. This standard is, in truth, as high as can be fixed, and higher than is applied in any national church, but it comes far fhort of a proper teft of real religion.

ment of character on other occafions.

They do

not hesitate to speak of certain perfons as real believers, and of others as at best doubtful characters. Indeed without this, there are many precepts which cannot be obeyed. We cannot affociate with the people of God as fuch, nor express that special love which we owe to the genuine disciples of Chrift, without forming a judgment of characters. We cannot even fuit our converfation fo as to be useful to those in whofe company we are. We fhall be in danger of crying peace to the formal profeffor or self-righteous Pharifee. But Christ has given us a standard by which to judge: "By their fruits ye shall know them." By attending to their general conversation and conduct, as well as to their knowledge and profeffed experience, we may generally form a proper judgment.

A church may after all be mistaken in fome whom they admit. The apoftles probably were fo as to Simon Magus, and many others; but this ought to make us the more careful to receive none, without what appears to us fatisfactory evidence that Chrift has received them. We ought not to confider ourselves as having a right to receive or to exclude, but endeavour to afcertain by evidence who are really believers, and confider the evidence of this as Christ's voice to the church, commanding us to admit them. Af

watched over, and retained or put away according to their fruits.

There is no objection to the propriety of the diftinction between vifible and real Chriftians, provided by vifible Chriftians we understand those whom we believe to be real Chriftians, and who appear to us, on proper evidence, to have the Spirit of Chrift. If by vifible Chriftianity be meant any thing fhort of the appearance of real Christianity; if a man being born in what is called a Chriftian country, being baptized, and not grofsly immoral, constitutes him, as we think, a visible Christian, the term is unfcriptural and abfurd. If we do not use proper means to ascertain whether those applying to be members of a church are real Christians or not, we neglect our duty to Christ, and cast a stumbling-block in their way.

It is not enough that a man wishes to join a church, and profeffes to believe: it is not enough that he can anfwer our inquiries on the leading doctrines of the gofpel; and that he may not be chargeable with grofs fin. This may be the cafe, and he may yet be a stranger to Chrift. We know that the word of God effectually works in all who believe, and we are bound to inquire what effect this has produced on him. Whenever the truth is believed, a great change takes place on the mind. We must not fix our standard too high, nor confider great attainments in knowledge or