as one who must give account; and to facilitate the course of his spiritual labours, and promote their great end, endeavours, by every means in his power, to minister relief to their temporal necessities, and thus to give them an intelligible proof of his sincere regard for their welfare. A shepherd who in this manner cares for the sheep, will probably have seldom cause to complain, either that they desert his fold, or stray into other pastures.

II. The next rule to be observed by the church, in order to support herself under a complete toleration, is, Not forwardly to set up any claims of superior purity or authority to other churches, either in respect of doctrine, worship, government, or discipline; and to maintain none after they have been proved to be either unjust or dubious; nor, lastly, to assert even those that are the most indisputably just and well-founded, with a disproportioned or unhallowed zeal.

1. There are few things which men are

*Heb. xiii. 17.

generally more disposed to resist than pretensions and claims of superiority. That pre-eminence in which they would acquiesce, or, at least, which they would silently suffer, if unobtrusive; they will be forward to oppose, when it comes with a demand of formal acknowledgment. Ambitious men, who know the world, are aware of this; they have therefore no pretensions, and forbear any display of their advantages whether natural or acquired, which might excite the envy or wound the vanity of others. And what these do merely from worldly policy, good and wise men will do from motives of christian prudence and charity; and particularly when rivals or competitors are in question, by whom any lofty airs or challenges are soonest felt, and most promptly resented.

2. The same considerations may be extended to communities, whether civil or religious, and especially to the latter. There have been ages when the most extravagant claims of the church have been admitted, and her most despotic mandates obeyed, without inquiry or demur. Those ages are

past. The pope no longer thunders from the Vatican, and awes the world into submission. The decrees of the most celebrated councils are not known, or not considered; and the most legitimate authorities are treated with little respect. In this state of general opinion, and without the most pressing necessity, it would seem extremely unwise and impolitic for the church either to revive old or advance new pretensions, which she might know certainly beforehand would seldom be attended to, and which she has no power to enforce.

3. It may further be observed, that, in the first instance, a general presumption lies against all extraordinary claims; and, on this account, that the opposition which is commonly made to them (though previous to examination) is not absolutely unreasonable. They are marks by which the weakest persons, as well as the weakest causes, are particularly distinguished. In this kind of competition, the empiric, the pedant, aud the sophist, will far outstrip the skilful physician, the able scholar, and the profound philosopher. The same observation is ap

plicable to bodies of men, ecclesiastical as well as civil. Hence, the high claims of the Romish church afford the protestants one of their most legitimate presumptions against her. From her claim of right to an absolute dictatorial authority, we presume the contrary; from her claim to apostolic purity in her faith, worship, government, and discipline, we presume upon her corruption in each; from her denial of salvation to those who are without her pale, we presume it to be peculiarly hazardous to be found within it. Thus by her ambitious or fanatical endeavours to exalt herself above other churches, she supplies them, and her adversaries in general, with a forcible plea against herself.

4. Lastly, pretensions provoke inquiry. This is the case with pretenders in the ordinary course of the world; many will put them to the proof; and if they cannot make good their vaunting, they must be content to suffer the disgrace arising from ignorance or presumption. The like happens in religion, both in respect to individuals and to societies. A church, by challenging supe

riority to other churches, naturally awakens their jealousy, and incites them to a narrow and rigorous scrutiny into the grounds of such a preference; and if these be found doubtful or insufficient, some of the following consequences will be likely to ensue: either the claimant church will retract, which is rarely to be expected in such a case, and might produce a triumph on the other side; or she will continue to assert her pretensions, notwithstanding all that is alleged against them; which would not only sink her credit still more with the other churches, and further increase their estrangement and opposition, but might also lessen her interest with that numerous division of the public who are merely lookers-on; as such persons are commonly disposed to favour the weaker, especially if it be, at the same time, the injured party. And perhaps in the opinion of the more inquisitive and learned, who bring both the parties to a trial before the tribunal of scripture and primitive antiquity, they might equally suffer a degradation. To which might be added, the scandal occasioned by such contentions, and the irre