the stars of heaven; yet amidst the greatest light they enjoyed, they were perpetually apostatizing from God, and falling into the grossest idolatries and delusions of the heathen nations. Though Christ has afforded the best means of instruction and edification to his churches; yet there has always been great and destructive heresies among them. Indeed, there have been as great errours and delusions among professed christians, as among heathens. And considering the religious privileges and advantages, which nominal christians have enjoyed, they have discovered a greater love to errour, and a greater stupidity in embracing gross and fatal heresies, than the most ignorant and stupid heathens have done. The god of this world has reigned universally and triumphantly among all the heathen nations, and seduced them into the most absurd and fatal heresies and delusions. And he has been very successful in blinding the minds and corrupting the hearts of nominal christians, and leading them to reject the plainest and most important truths of the gospel. Heresy, which consists in fundamental and fatal errours, has done more, than any other secondary cause whatever to destroy the souls of men. Heresy has blinded the minds of more than half mankind, respecting the being, perfections, designs, and government of God. Heresy has blinded the minds of the great majority of those, who have lived under the gospel, respecting their own sinful and perishing condition, and the way of salvation through the atonement of Christ, and the special operations of the holy spirit. The way of the world is still as darkness, they know not at what they stumble. They are stupidly and insensibly pursuing the path that leads to darkness, disappointment, and everlasting despair. Though light shines, yet it shines in darkness, and the darkness comprehends it not. For wise and holy reasons, God has chosen that the great deceiver should lead all the heathen world into idolatry, and a great part of the christian world into heresy, and cause

darkness to cover the earth, and thick darkness the people.

2. It appears from the nature and tendency of heresy, that a church composed of real christians, ought to censure and reject any of their members who embrace it. Many suppose, that a church have no right to censure and excommunicate professors of religion for mere heresy. They say, that every one has the right of private judgment, and does not stand amenable for any religious sentiments, which he chooses to adopt, to any human tribunal. They say, that no church can distinguish errour from truth, and consequently cannot determine whether any man is an heretick, or not. But these are ground less objections against censuring and condemning men for heresy. Heresy has been explained to consist in essential errours. And it is as easy to determine what essential errours are, as to determine what essential truths are. Any errour is essential errour, that opposes or denies an essential truth. So that there may be as many essential errours as there are essential doctrines of the gospel. And if a christian church can determine what are essential doctrines of the gospel, then they can determine what heresy is, which consists in the denial of the essential doctrines of the gospel. And though every member of a church has the right of private judgment, yet he has no right to judge wrong, and embrace errours, which would pervert and destroy the gospel. Heresy is as plain and sure an index of a man's character, as immorality. As immorality flows from a corrupt heart, so does heresy. Let a catalogue of essential truths be presented to one member of a church, and a catalogue of essential errours be presented to another member of the church. And if the first embraces the catalogue of truths presented to him; and the second embraces the catalogue of errours, presented to him; the church would then have as just ground to judge, that he who embraced the catalogue of errours was an enemy to Christ and the gospel; as to judge that he who embraced the catalogue of truths

was a friend to Christ and the gospel. It is with the heart, that a man believes and loves the gospel; and it is with the heart, that a man disbelieves and rejects the gospel. He that professes to believe and love the essential doctrines of the gospel, is a visible christian; and he that professes to disbelieve and hate the essential doctrines of the gospel is a visible heretick; and such a visible heretick is a visible enemy to all righteousness, whom the church ought to censure, and exclude from their christian fellowship and communion. Hence says the apostle, "an heretick after the first and second admonition reject." Not only the nature, but the tendency of heresy shows that hereticks ought to be shut out of a christian church. For they are not only unworthy, but corrupt members, who are disposed to corrupt and destroy the church. And in reference to such persons the apostle says, "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." A church cannot discharge their duty to Christ, nor to themselves, nor to hereticks, unless they exclude them from their christian communion and fellowship.

3. If it be one design of God in continuing heresies, to distinguish real christians from false and erroneous professors; then there is a palpable impropriety and absurdity, in attempting to unite those together in christian harmony and communion, who differ essentially in their religious sentiments. Many, at this day, are zealously engaged to bring about a coalition, harmony, and connection among almost all, who profess the christian name, though they widely differ in their opinions respecting the great and important doctrines of the gospel. It is, indeed, much to be desired, that all denominations of christians should be brought to believe, and love, and profess the first principles of the oracles of God. But it is not to be desired, that they should visibly unite, while they are visibly disunited upon the most important religious subjects. Such a union would imply something more than mutual charity and condescension to each other; it would imply a mutual combination in errour. It would be practically

saying to each other, if you will allow us to err from the truth, we will allow you to err from the truth. Can this be the proper way to answer the wise purpose of God in continuing the existence of heresies? He says that they must exist, that those whom he approves may be made manifest, and distinguished from those whom he disapproves and condemns. The promiscuous union and harmony among those, who hold diametrically opposite sentiments, has a direct tendency to prevent making manifest the real difference between orthodox and heterodox christians, and is calculated to spread errours, heresies, and moral corruption through the whole christian world. This the most erroneous and lax professors of christianity know, and therefore have been the most forward and bold in proclaiming their unbounded catholicism and charity towards all who differ from them in their religious opinions. Those who believe and love the pure and important doctrines of the gospel, are willing to be made manifest, and to be known and distinguished from those, who dislike and despise and reproach the most precious and important principles of the christian religion. It is, therefore, very unwise and criminal in the sincere professors of religion, whom God approves, to unite with those who are ashamed of the gospel, and wish to hide their heterodoxy, among the conflicting and undetermined sentiments of the more popular denominations. Sincere christians need to be upon their guard against those, who, by their good words and fair speeches, would persuade them to unite harmoniously with concealed hereticks and real infidels, who would either corrupt their sentiments, or obstruct their spiritual edification and growth in grace. Nor will such a union be injurious to themselves only, but be injurious to the cause of Christ in general, and tend to spread errour and heresy through the world.

4. It appears from what has been said, that when fatal errours and heresies greatly prevail, that then is a time when God is about to purge and purify the church and make manifest those who are approved among

the professors of religion. He has told us, that it is one of his good purposes, to make manifest those whom he approves, by the means of heresies. And it is easy to see, that heresies naturally tend to draw a visible line of distinction between true and false professors in the churches of Christ. There is now a trying time among his followers. Those who are with him and for him, will gather with him, while those who are against him will scatter abroad. God has always produced his designed effect, by errours, heresies, and delusions. This was the case, when Jeroboam corrupted the ten tribes by his idolatries and delusions. He drew together all the corrupt part of the Jewish Church, and made manifest the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, whom God accepted, approved, and blessed for ages. Errour and heresy had arrived to their highest pitch, in Luther's day, when God overruled errour and heresy as means of bringing about a great and general separation between the corrupt, and uncorrupt branches of the christian church. And the separation between Protestants and Roman Catholicks has continued to this

day, and produced the happiest effects among the nations of the earth. Errour and heresy had risen to an enormous height in England, when they were instrumental in bringing about the memorable separation between dissenters, and the heretical clergy in the established church; the happy influence of which separation, we in this country have always felt and still feel. God's design in heresies, is not to unite, but disunite pure churches from those who are corrupt; and to purge the pure churches from their corrupt members. God now appears to be indicating his purpose of separating the precious from the vile, those whom he approves from those whom he disapproves, by the flood of errours, heresies, and delusions, which are overflowing the land. It is now a fanning and winnowing, a purging and purifying time among the churches. God has for years been sifting other nations, and is now sifting our nation with the sieve of vanity, to make manifest those whom he approves. It is a time, not to unite with.