Matt. xviii. 17, 18. Is not this power and authority necessary to the true church? What, a church, and not have power over her own members, but every one left to the dictates of what they call the light within, and not be subject to the judgment of the true light, spirit, and power of Christ, the head in the living body? What a church were this? A mere Babel, an heap of confusion, a body that would never be at unity in itself. But God is the God of the order of his own spirit, life, and power, and not of such confusion. This doctrine may go for truth in Babylon, but can never be owned in God's Jerusalem, where his spirit did build up, and defends the buildings, and judgeth out all such sandy and windy doctrines, which are loose and airy, and have not a ground or bottom in the truth." After considerable more in this and the next page, he says, (page 408,) "Bear with me, for I am constrained to speak these things for truth's sake, for the church's sake, yea, for Christ's sake, and for the sake of them who cry up the light within, in words, and yet are deceived about it and know it not, but are erred from it, and have set up the darkness of antichrist, in their minds, instead of it; which with them goes for the true light; and in this they judge that which is true, as if it were false, and justify that which is false, as if it were true, both in themselves and others; both which are an abomination to the Lord."

Page 410, he further adds, "The church also waiting upon God, in their meetings together in his name, the Lord will discover what is hurtful to the body, and contrary to the life of the body, and lay yokes upon it: and he that refuseth this yoke, keeps alive that which is impure and fleshly, and keeps down the just in himself." In page 411: "If any member be blessed, and grow ever so abundantly in grace, it is the growth of the church; and the church is glad of it. Now if it be a true church, and mind the

growth, they would have unity with the

peace of the church; and be subject to the spirit, and pure power of life in the church; else their growth is in another spirit, which the true church can never own." A little further, in the same page, he says, " Now if any in Lucifer's nature, will hearken to that spirit which despiseth God's church, and rend from it, and think to grow above it, and expect this growth in

their high notions and comprehension about things, in that exalted mind, should be owned by the church, they will be mistaken; for the true spirit, which knows all things, and guides the church, will not guide the church to own any such spirit, or growth, but to judge and condemn it, in its greatest spreading and exaltation. There were those in the apostles' days, who would seem to be grown high, and to be spiritual, far above the apostles, and such as lay low in the truth, and obeyed the holy commandments; and yet were far short of their life, as may be seen abundantly in his epistles to the church of Corinth. But what saith the apostle, concerning such? "If any man think himself a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." 1 Cor. xii. 37. And did he not give commandments about those that were unruly; and would not be subject to the order, power, and government of God's spirit in the church? And did not the apostle say of unruly persons, and vain talkers, and deceivers, that their mouths must be stopped? Titus i. 10, 11. What, had the church or ministers, in the first promulgation of the gospel, power to stop mouths? Yea, in the spirit that was in them and with them, they knew which were the vain talkers, the unruly and deceivers, and what mouths were to be stopped, and what power would stop them.”

In the first part of his works, page 430, he queries thus, “ Did not he, who had all power given him, give power to his apostles and ministers to preach his everlasting gospel to the world, to gather his sheep out of the world, and to watch over them, oversee them, reprove, exhort, admonish, build up in the holy faith; and cut off and cast out, that which was unholy, and would dispute against, but not submit unto the spirit, life, and power of truth? Query 4th. Did not Christ give them gifts also answerable, spirits of discerning, that they might be eyes to the body? For though the Lord hath given every one an eye, and an ear, as to themselves, yet every one is not made by the Lord, an eye, or ear unto the body; but this is appointed for, and given to those to whom the Lord pleases, who hath ordered all things wisely, carefully, and tenderly, for the good of all." In the 5th query, he asks, " Were they not to watch against, testify

against, and in the power and authority of the Lord, to strike at all that was contrary and would endeavour to interrupt, overturn and destroy their work, which was of, in, and from the Lord." "Query 6th. Whether the body and common members of the churches were not to hearken to these, (he that knoweth God heareth us. 1 John iv. 6,) to obey them in the Lord, to submit to their ministry and their work in it, in the Lord, to receive the word of truth, and holy exhortations and admonitions, milked out by these to them from the breast of life? And were not they that did hearken and obey, commended? And were not the others that were not subject, but slighted them and their ministry and authority, testified against as disorderly and unruly?" After these and a few more queries, he proceeds, page 431, saying, "Now against this holy order and government, appointed by God, there may arise in some hearts, some such objections as these following. Objection 1st: but is not this a turning away from the measure of light in a man's own vessel, to another man's measure? Answer: waiting on God in his ordinances and appointments, and upon the ministry which he hath set up, the measure of life in him teacheth; and it is not a turning from the measure, but a subjecting to the Lord in the measure of his life, so to teach and do. The measure of his life, taught me thus to do at first, and teacheth me to do so still, and will teach so still, all that hearken to it." In this same answer he adds, "If life speak in one vessel, and its voice be not heard or owned by another vessel, the pure ear (in that other vessel) is not at that time open, but there is somewhat there that obstructs; and if the pure ear of the sheep be not open to hear the voice of the Shepherd, but it be accounted strange, it is much if the other ear in that vessel be not opened to hear the voice of the stranger, and to look upon it as the voice of the Shepherd; it agreeing with that, and answering to that which now goeth for the voice of the measure of life in that heart. He that hath an ear, let him hear; for it is easy being taken in this snare, and the danger thereof is very great."

Page 432: "The measure of life in the vessel teacheth to subject to the spirit of the Lord, and his life in others, which the measure of life in any never refuseth, but still knoweth,

when awake and living in the vessel, its own, and hath, at least, a secret sense of it, and unity with it: but that which pretends to set up the measure of life as a teacher, otherwise than God hath appointed, and in opposition to the teaching and ministry which he hath appointed, and to his gift in those vessels which is as well for the building up and perfecting of the body as for the gathering; that is another thing in that vessel that doth so, than the measure of life, another spirit, another nature, another ear than that, that first heard. And though it seem to cry up the sufficiency of the measure of life, and to plead for that, (and perhaps the creature thinks it really so,) yet that is not the intent of the spirit in the vessel, but to cry up itself, and to make its voice go for the voice of the measure of life, and so such err from the faith, the truth, the spirit, the measure of life; and are in the nature, spirit, and measure of another thing, which is indeed death, though they see it not, but look upon themselves as gloriously living, and abiding in the pure doctrine and principle above others." In this page, speaking of the apostles and their service towards others, he asks, "Had they not power over them in the Lord? Were they not to teach them, to instruct them, to build them up in the holy faith, and also to watch against wolves and devouring spirits, which would strive to enter the flock in sheep's clothing, and as preachers of righteousness, to make a prey of the innocent life in the upright hearted, if possible?"

In page 435, he says, "That which is lifted up and conceited, ready to justify its own way, and condemn even the whole body, is neither fit to be taught by the Lord, nor doth the Lord delight, but rather disdain, to teach it. And so not being taught by him, it must needs be liable to err, yea, to hearken to that spirit whose voice is more pleasing and suitable to the erring mind than the Lord's voice is." He goes on saying, “A third great help, which, in the tender mercy of the Lord, I have had experience of, is sobriety of judgment; not to value or set up mine own judgment, or that which I account the judgment of life in me, above the judgment of others or that which is indeed. life in others. For the Lord hath appeared to others as well as to me; yea, there are others who are in the growth of his truth,

and in the purity and dominion of his life, far beyond me. Now for me to set up or hold forth a sense or judgment of a thing in opposition to them, this is out of the sobriety which is of the truth. Therefore, in such cases, I am to retire, and fear before the Lord, and wait upon him for a clear discerning and sense of his truth, in the unity and demonstration of his spirit, with others who are of him, and see in him. And this will prevent the rents which the want of this sobriety may occasion." Thus far Isaac Pennington.

Now, though I have thus enlarged with quotations from several worthies, I am not easy to omit some very pertinent observations of John Griffith, in his "Brief Remarks upon sundry important subjects." Page 59,* &c. upon the subject of the true and false ministry, speaking of the danger of ministering merely from "strong desires to do good, and much beautiful gospel doctrine, opening without the call and real gift in this so awful an undertaking," he proceeds thus: "But there is great cause to believe some have launched out upon this foundation only, in the beginning of their public appearances, whereby they have in a sorrowful manner brought darkness upon themselves, and sometimes on others, having proved only ministers of the letter; though perhaps pretending to have the impulses of the spirit. These have been instruments of much anxiety and distress to the true church, who can savour nothing with delight, but that which comes from the power of the Lord of life. It may be difficult to bring true judgment over such in the present low state of things; especially, when there has been a fair outside, and nothing to blame in their morals. But it sometimes hath fallen out that there has been something permitted to manifest the unsoundness of such, and thereby to relieve the painful sufferers under the blasting wind of such ministry. Inconsiderate, weak persons have intruded themselves into this great work; who not duly waiting for judgment to try the spirits, and what presents to their minds, have been beguiled by transformations to go out in a false heat; and for want of the holy dread and fear upon their hearts, they have catched hold of the gospel

*Page 74, American edit. ann. 1780.