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SERMON VI.

I COR. XIV. 33.

For God is not the author of confufion but of peace, as in all Churches of the Saints.

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HE plan thus far purfued, according to which the Credibility and Nature of the Revelation on which Christianity is built, have been the object of difcuffion, leads naturally to the contemplation of those Establishments relating to it, which the judgment of Men has modelled, and their authority enjoined: which, while the records of religion contain as it were the soul and fpirit, encompass it with an external, vifible form, which, therefore, ought to be adapted to its nature and operations.

Previously to any remark on this topic it is, first, obvious to notice the neceffity of subordi

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nation and obedience to government in general. No long argument, furely, is here neceffary; for the conftant experience of mankind must ever readily fhew to all, that without them none of the benefits derived on a state of civilized life by the appropriate and affigned labours of individuals, and the 'reftraint or redrefs of all thofe diforders which the paffions of a corrupted nature are perpetually ready to produce, can be fecured to fociety. To effect thefe purposes, fo evidently requifite to the private and public fecurity, happiness and advantage of men, Autho'rity and Power must refide in fome particular perfons and therefore this, we are told on the authority of Scripture, as every other confequence neceffarily arifing out of the nature of things, proceeds from the will of God.

To facilitate the adminiftration of this authority, the neceffity of a certain Syftem of Laws, and known Order of fulfilling the charge committed, and alfo of external circumftances of Dignity and Splendor adapted to raife or preferve a due veneration for the perfons so entrusted in the minds of all, especially the weak and licentious, arifes out of the fame general conftitution of human nature. It therefore, to be fhort on this fubject, argues folly to aim at any thing elfe, than at making the wifeft ufe of these

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means, that the accidental fituation of each country enables it to contrive and establish.

The Apostle in my text afferts this doctrine to be applicable alfo to the conftitution of the Christian church. And furely it is plain that as Christians are men, and the vifible Church likewife comprehends members of all degrees of faith and virtue, it must be immediately applicable to this as to every human community. It is therefore only perhaps worth while farther to remark, that the Apoftle's affertion derives an extraordinary obligation upon us, fince in this case of the Corinthians, even the miraculous effufions of the Holy Spirit, which were then commonly granted, are enjoined to be fubject to the controul of public order and ceremony. It is needlefs to apply this at length to the diforderly pretenfions of modern Enthufiafts.

I fhall not undertake to prove that each national church has a right to ordain its own system of ecclefiaftical offices, laws, and all external concerns, fince this is obviously and naturally to be fuppofed, unless the contrary could be proved from Holy Scripture. But this point is now out of all question. I fhall proceed to obferve, that all thofe inftitutions which are enjoined therein,

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therein, as of perpetual authority, are preferved and fanctioned by the laws of this country.

In the first inftance that fuggefts itself, the appointment of an officiating Miniftry, this is clearly the cafe, as appears from the writings of St. Paul. In the first epiftle to Timothy, whom he had fettled at Ephesus, the several Orders of Bishop and Deacon,* and afterwards of Elders+ in the miniftry, are exprefsly mentioned, and are reprefented as fubject to his authority, who, was, as Bishop of that district, fupreme over them all. In the fame chapter, their Ordination by the impofition of hands from this fuperior minifter, accompanied, as the preceding chapter alfo feems to inform us, by the laying on of the hands by the Prefbytery, is mentioned as a regular form of it, as likewife in other places. But when, in general, no farther injunctions appear, nor any intimation that all thefe degrees of miniftry were neceffarily to be adopted in every affembly of Chriftians, for on the contrary it rather feems that thefe orders were varied according to the circumftances of each Church,

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ba Chap, iieri + Chap. v. 1718. The Elders fpoken of, chap. v. 1. are only the older mem bers of the Church.-See Titus i. 6, 5. an Elder was Here 7. appointed for each city as Bishop, which the term therefore fome times fignified, as it alfo denoted the Apostles, Pet. v. 1, So alfo the term Bishop was attributed to the Apoftles, Acts i. zo. and to Chrift himself, Pet. ii. 25. In thefe instances the latitude obfervable was fuited to the fimplicity of that early period.

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