ever memorable and bloody contests between the early bishops of the church, about the establishment of the Athanafian Creed, and the contention for fupremacy between the Greek and Latin churches, which came to a drawn battle at laft; as alfo in later times, the unchriftian and inhuman difputes between the Romanifts and Proteftants, each exerting their infernal spirit of perfecution, as power afforded them the means; a conteft in which deluges of blood have been spilt, and are fpilling to this hour, infomuch that we may justly aver, lamentable as the truth is, that there exists not upon the face of the Chriftian world, more than ONE SECT of mankind, who preferve any appearance of having a true claim to the title of Chriftians. Here our readers cannot be at a lofs to know, that we mean that refpectable body of people, commonly, although ludicroufly, ftiled QUAKERS, a people that in their principles and practice do honour to primitive Chriftianity and humanity. But, to resume the thread of our fubject, and analize in few words (as neceffary to our main view) the causes, nature, and progrefs of the lastmentioned conteft between Chriftians (nominally fo) originally of the fame church, although an idolatrous and fuperftitious one: 80. After

80. After the feparation of the Greek and Latin churches, the laft fupported her fupremacy in the Weft for fome ages; at length avarice and tyrannic exactions (and partial favor fhewn to one fet of monks in the collection of thofe exactions), in the Pope; fpiritual pride, refentment, revenge, and an affectation of fingularity in the breasts of Luther and Calvin; and luft and wrath against the Pope in the heart of our Harry VIII. brought about a partial Reformation of the Chriftian church. Thus God fometimes works out his purposes of good, by most evil tools. This defertion gave a "perilous gafh to the body of the church " of Rome, and many a profitable limb was lopt off," and loft, never to be recovered. But Luther and Calvin, not according to the principles and modes of Reformation, became the leaders of two oppofite religious Proteftant factions, with about an equal number of profelytes, who foon began to harbor as mutual and cordial a hatred, and unchriftian-like animofity against each other, as they both bore to their mother church of Rome: then bishops and no bishops proved the fource of fresh, bloody, and cruel contefts. Spiritual pride, joined to temporal political maxims, have kept alive an unceafing rancour in the hearts of those two Proteftant fects, that must ever keep G 3 them

them asunder, although nothing is easier to be effected than a union, were it poffible to bring them back to Chriftianity, from which they have both swerved in principle and practice; whilft Rome is not without her hopes from these divifions, and waits a favorable conjuncture to re-unite them to the bofom of her church, either by force, or fraud, or both; an alarming event! which poffibly may not be fo far diftant as fome fondly imagine. But the feuds and differences between the Lutherans and Calvinifts hurt the caufe of Chrift ftill more deeply; for many of each perfuafion, obferving the eafy fuccefs of those leaders, and how glorious and profitable it was to become the head, the primum mobile of a fect, deserted again their colours, and setting up for themselves, formed innumerable fubdivifions of faith, under various independent denominations; and each leader had his followers. Thus old herefies were revived, and new ones instituted, and fanaticism of every absurd and extravagant fpecies had a quick and dangerous growth; each fect audacioufly affirming, from the fame fcriptures, that theirs, and theirs only, was the true orthodox faith, and the right road to falvation yet, with fuch doctrines, they brought the head of a good, moral, and pious, but

mifguided

mifguided Prince, to the block, and overturned the conftitution of a kingdom.

81. Such is the whole prefent state of Chrift's church militant here on this western earth; and the above, added to fome before noted, are the reproachful fatal causes that have obstructed and utterly choked the univerfal growth and progress of the gospel; and hence we are urged, by a spirit of true benevolence to mankind, to promulge the following reflections:

82. During our non-age, we naturally receive and adopt the notions and principles inftilled by our parents and teachers; but when man arrives at maturity, he will as · naturally affert his great privilege of reason, and think for himself. But what muft be the confusion and perplexity of his reflections and ideas, when he begins the neceffary inquiry after TRUTH, in fo effential a matter as the worship of his GOD? when he finds, we fay (in what is vainly and fallaciously called a Chriftian country), every Christian church divided against itself, and the profeffors of Christianity pursuing each other with concealed or open execrations, malice, and all uncharitablenefs, that mif guided zeal, temporal interested views, or enthufiaftic rage can poffibly dictate. Thus circum.

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circumstanced, a thinking being has no refource, but either totally to abjure Christianity, or to endeavour to work out his own falvation, according to the lights which pure fcripture, and his own unbiased reafon affords him, without adhering to any one Christian church or fyftem whatsoever as now profeffed in any part of the world, as they have one and all proved defective, and inefficacious to cement the bands of mutual love, charity, forbearance, and peace amongst men; which relative duties are the quinteffence, the fine qua non of the gospeldifpenfation. But as the different interpretations of the fame fcriptures have been the great, the mischievous caufe of the numerous jarring fects of Christians (the leaders of each drawing a miffive weapon from the fame text); and as the fatal effects of these fects and fchifms in Chriftianity have been truly diabolical in every inch of Europe (infomuch that a ftander-by might be well excufed if he was induced to think the Devil himself had been the author of it, in place of GoD), we must go farther, and utterly reject all that has been written by the apoftles and difciples, and every paraphrafe, expofition, and vifionary doctrine that has been tortured from them, except the exprefs declarations and doctrines which fell from the mouth of Christ himself, as they stand recorded