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In answer to your question "How a man may pursue his secular business with success, and still maintain the power of religion," I have advised you to commit all your works to God, and thus make your secular business a part of religion. While you conduct in this manner, you will have a plain practical rule, by which you may judge concerning your duty, in cases where a deceitful heart will pretend doubts and contrive evasions.

There are certain works, which you wish to do, and which you hope you may do without incurring guilt. Now put this question seriously to your conscience, "Can I commit these works to God?" If you cannot do this without manifest impiety, then you must know, that the works are sinful.

In all our just and important undertakings, we may with propriety, and we ought in duty, to seek the direction of God's counsel, the assistance of his grace, and the concurrence of his blessing. The religious husbandman asks God's smiles on his daily labours. The pious traveller in all his ways acknowledges God's directing and preserving providence. The good Christian implores God's blessing on his common meals. In times of ap. parent danger to his person or substance he solicits the divine protection. In any case where our design is good, and the means to be used are just, we feel no scruple in addressing our

selves to God; yea, we think we ought to do it.

Now if you feel any doubt concerning the lawfulness of a work in contemplation, ask whether it would be pious, or proper to commend it to God? Or if you knew a neighbour, who often begun such a work with a prayer for God's blessing, ask, what you would think of him? Would you view him as eminently devout, or as adding profaneness to iniquity? If you would be afraid to pray for God's blessing on the work in question; or would condemn as impious the man who should presume to commit such a work to God in prayer, you may conclude it to be abominable.

Guided by this rule, you never will use any artifice, deception, or, fraud in the prosecution of your worldly designs; for no man can seriously commend such means to the blessing of God. This rule will exclude gaming from the list of lawful works. Whateveropinion some may have of gaming, considered as an amusement, no man would dare to pray, that he might find it a profitable trade to get money. That sense of piety which prompts a man to pray for success in his husbandry or commerce, would make him afraid to offer a prayer for success, when he and his neighbour had agreed to put their property to the hazard of a game. He would feel, in such a case, as if prayer were an insult to his Maker. He would shudder at the thought of it. If he knew a brother gamester, who usually sought God's blessing at a cardtable, as the Christian does at a dining table, he would think him abandoned to impiety. He would

applaud himself, that, though he practised gaming, he never prostituted piety in the business. But if the business itself be innocent, why may not prayer accompany this, as well as any other innocent business?

This rule will shew you what diversions you may admit with out prejudice to religion in your heart. I will not deny, but that some amusements may be useful. Such as are, in their nature, innocent, and in their use, subservient to health of body, cheerful ness of mind, sociability of temper, and the improvement of friendship, the Christian doubt less may admit, at proper seasons, and within reasonable bounds. In such recreations you may as properly seek God's direction and blessing, as in reading an instructive book, or in sitting down at a festival table. But if the diversion to which you are invited, or which you have proposed, be of such a nature, or attended with such circumstances, that it would appear impious to implore God's guidance and blessing, it is certain, that you ought to forbear the use of it.

Farther. If realizing the truth and importance of religion, you should adopt means to spread the knowledge and promote the practice of it among others among the youth, or among people who have not the ordinary means of instruction, you would not fail to commit your endeavours to the divine blessing. But who would venture to pray for success in his endeavours to propagate infidelity and impiety? There are those profane and impious creatures, who treat the scriptures with contempt, and labour to corVol. III. No. 4.

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rupt the minds of others from the belief of them by cavilling against them in company, and by reading and recommending books written with a design to discredit their authority, and defeat their influence. These persons pretend to believe that there is a God, on whom all creatures are dependent. But could they seriously address the Deity for his gracious smiles on their endeavours? Could they apply to him in prayer for the success of the means, which they are using to subvert revelation? Could they supplicate his blessing to accompany their labours? Certainly they would not venture on so awful a step. But why? If they believed the scriptures to be false and dangerous, they might as consistently pray for their subversion, as the Christian, who believes them to be true and important, can pray for their credit and influence. The truth is, the infidel, while he opposes the gospel, feels an inward suspicion, that he is opposing the word of God. And while he retains any impression of his own accountableness, he dares not invoke his Maker to prosper his guilty conduct.

Make it a rule to commit your works to God in humble prayer, and you will not hesitate long, what works you may do. Your own conscience will remonstrate against a prayer for the divine blessing on sinful works. You will not presume to implore his smiles on works, which he condemus. Do nothing, but what you can seriously introduce into a prayer, and make the matter of a petition to God. You will then seldom venture on any criminal design, or on any sinful

means to accomplish an innocent design. Peruse and apply this advice from

Your affectionate parent,
EUSEBIUS.

INTERESTING QUERIES.

Is it an act of Christian and ministerial fellowship to sit in - council with the delegates and pastors of churches? Or in other words: Does a minister, when he sits in council, especially in an ordaining council, by such act acknowledge all who sit with him, as pastors, in the council, to be ministers of the gospel, and fellow labourers in the kingdom of Christ?

If this be answered in the affirmative; it is then asked: How can a minister, who believes the doctrines of grace, and considers them essential to the gospel scheme of salvation, sit in council with those ministers who deny them?

These queries are stated with : a hope, that some scribe, who is well instructed, will give that at tention to them, which their practical importance demands, and kindly instruct those, who often know not what to do.

ANSWER.

TIMOTHY.

When we sit in council, be it an ordaining or other council, we acknowledge all the ministers, who sit with us, to be in good ecclesiastical standing; i. e. to have been duly inducted into office, and not to be now in a state of deposition, or under censure; and we acknowledge the delegates to be messengers of the churches of our common

Lord. Thus far, and no farther, as I conceive, we declare our fellowship with them. We do not by this act express any opinion relative to their grace, or their orthodoxy. If the ministers are visibly in good standing, have been regularly introduced into their office, and have not been regularly ejected from it, we are to treat them as officers in the church, whatever may be our private opinion concerning their personal character or qualifications. Our Saviour had communion with the Jewish church, though there were in it many things which he condemned. While the pharisean Scribes sat in Moses' seat, he directed the people to attend on their instructions, and observe them, as far as they were agreeable to the law of Moses; but cautioned them to avoid the errors taught, and the sins practised by these teachers.

In the kingdom of Christ, "all things are to be done decently and in order." There must be a visible decency, an external order in the church, that peace may be preserved, edification promoted, and confusion prevented.

When a man offers himself as a candidate for the ministerial office, it is incumbent on him to exhibit positive proofs of his qualifications. But before a minister can be justly deposed from office, there must be adduced full and indubitable evidence of his disqualifications. The candidate must have a "good report ;" and if there arise an ill report, he must disprove and remove it, before he is ordained. But Paul says, Against an Elder," one already in office, " receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses."

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The officer is not to be deposed, or treated as deposed, on mere "report:" There must first be an open trial; an accusation sustained by competent testimony; he must have the accuser and witnesses face to face, that he may hear them, and have an opportunity to confront them. Even written affidavits, taken at a distance, are never to be admitted in such trials, nor indeed in any ecclesiastical trials; for the gospel requires, that the witnesses be present. Our civil courts require the same in criminal prosecutions. And church prosecutions are all criminal.

If we refuse to sit in a council, to which we are called, some reason must be assigned for this refusal; otherwise it speaks no explicit language, and may be interpreted by men's suspicions to speak any thing and every thing that is ill. If our avowed reason be, that such a minister is present, and we cannot att with him, then we declare, by words and actions, that this minister ought not to be owned and treated as a minister; that the whole council ought to discard him; that his people ought to withdraw from him; that all Christians ought to shun him, as an evil and dangerous man. We not only slander him before proof of guilt, but, as far as our influence can avail, we lay, him under censure; and it is pur intention, (if we have any consistent intention) that our conduct shall operate to this effect. But where is our authority to censure and condemn him? We were not called for this business. Where is our evidence? Report or rumour, is not to be received against an elder. Have you or I personal knowledge in

the case? One witness is not sufficient. Are there other witnes ses? They must exhibit their testimony before a proper judicature, and in the presence of the accused, that he may hear, crossexamine and confront them. Must he defend himself on the spot? He is not prepared-his witnesses are not present; he perhaps has objections against the judges, who assume to try him; and they were called for quite different business. But perhaps, it will be said, "Here is a minister, who has openly avowed his heresy, and who is therefore condemned of himself There is no need of other witnesses." Be it so; still Paul tells us, that even in such a case, the heretic is not to be rejected, until "after the first and second admonition."

If every man assumes to himself a power to judge, hereticate and condemn his brethren, on mere report, or on his own private opinion, or on surmise and prejudice, without a fair, open trial, whose character is safe? whose standing is secure? where is the peace and order of the churches? where is the liberty with which Christ has made us free? "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace in all churches of the saints."

We may know a minister, whom we think immoral in practice, or unsound in faith. Such a minister we should endeavour to reclaim by private expostula

We regret that no ecclesiastical tribunal exists in our Congregational churches, before which such a trial of the ministers and churches will be may be had. We hope the wisdom employed to supply this great defect in our ecclesiastical discipline.

tion. If we fail of success, we may desire some proper persons, who know the case, to assist our addresses. We are to exercise meekness, patience and candour. And before we attempt, by any action of ours, to impress a stigma upon him, I should suppose, we ought to institute a regular process against him, before some proper tribunal, that if he is innocent, he may be acquitted, and

our minds relieved from painful suspicion; and if he is guilty, and obstinate in his crimes or errors, his folly may be made manifest to all men, and the churches secured from dangerous imposition.

Thus, I imagine, peace and order in churches, and purity and soundness in ministers will best be preserved.

TITUS.

Selections.

We invite the attention of our Readers to the following observations from "The Religious Monitor," a valuable periodical work, pub.. lished at Edinburgh, in Scotland. The few remarks, which are of a more local nature, contain information, which will not be unacceptable to our Readers, while the general tenor and spirit of the whole, it will be readily perceived, render them seasonable and applicable to the existing state of religion in our own country.

A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE PRINCIPAL CONTROVERSIES AMONGST PROTESTANTS, WITH REMARKS ON THE PROGRESS OF RE

LIGION.

THE state of society is seldom long stationary, and Paul speaks of the course of this world : What then, it may be inquired, since the reformation, has been our progress?

I shall suggest a few hints on religion, rather with the view of calling the attention of others to this subject, than of exhausting it myself. From the reformation to the present day, the controversy between Protestants and Papists has existed; and a miAute attention to the different aspects it has assumed, might serve to discriminate the religious character of the intervening ages. Another method of ascertaining our direction at least, and

perhaps somewhat of our progress also, is to attend to the successive controversies, which have arisen among Protestants themselves.

During the sixteenth century, the chief controversy among the. reformers was about the habits, rites, and ceremonies. These were of themselves confessedly. indifferent, and judging by the reasoning of Paul, Rom, xiv. the guilt of schism rested on the imposers. In a neighbouring church,* a violent discussion has been excited concerning their articles, whether they are Arminian or Calvinistic. It has

• The church of England.

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