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that, unless the Lord of Hofts himself should by fome extraordinary acts of Providence engage for the one against the other, the Church would be in great danger of being devoured by her enemies. But, befides this, Almighty God, by appearing thus vifibly by fome token of his power and prefence in the behalf of his Church and people, and against their enemies, will ferve another great defign of his grace and favour towards the world; and that is, in making fuch proceeding of his to be a means of convincing the world in general, that the God of these Chriftians, for whom he thus wonderfully appears, is the only true God, and their Religion the only true Religion; upon account of which they will be drawn to learn it of them. There are many Scriptures which give intimation of this, and fome hints of the manner in which the enemies of the Church will be deftroyed; one of which is, the enemies falling out among themselves, and falling foul upon one another, instead of profecuting their defign against the armies of the Chriftians. Ifaiah ix. 2. Zechariah xiv. 13. xii. 2, 3, 4. Haggai ii. 22. Ezekiel xxxviii. 21. Micah v. 6. feems to be defigned to be put in execution upon the pouring out of the feventh vial.....Amos ix. 11, 12. The raifing up the decayed and low estate of the house of David, or of the people of the Jews, is, we fee, defigned by God not only as an extraordinary favour to them, but to this end also, as a means conducing to it, viz. that the refidue of men might feek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, faith the Lord,' for fo the words run Acts xv. 17. Thefe glorious things fpoken of this people of God, which will thus affect ́even nations, and caufe them to defire and feek their favour and friendship, are to be understood, I conceive, of their outward profperity especially, and of the extraordinarinefs of the change of their outward condition, both

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for the fuddennefs of it, and the means of effecting it. As for their spiritual glory and beauty, the Heathen, its like, will not at first be moved with that to feek their favour and friendship, nor to admire them for that glory, because they cannot have a sense of that until they are inftructed in the nature of spiritual things. Only fo far as they come to hear of the excellency of their morals, their truth and charity, their temperance and chastity, thefe the Heathen can judge of indeed, and an eminency in these will procure reverence and refpect even from barbarous nations. But its likely that which will come firft to the notice of foreign nations concerning the Jews, will be their strange and wonderful victories, and the extraordinary manner of obtaining them, the wonderful things which will be done for them in bringing them together out of their difperfion, and how in all things they profper, and the like. And the fame of these things, and the refpect it will procure them, will prepare the Heathen to receive the Gofpel, and for the light of falvation by them, and quickly to fall in with them in their belief and profeffion of it. See Jeremiah xxxiii. 7."

Extracts from a Work intitled, "On the Future State of the Church," by W. A. printed in 1684.

Additional Note to the Second Edition.

It has been suggested by a person, eminently diftinguished by his zeal and exertions in the fervice of Religion, that this work bears hard upon the Roman Catholics, at a time when Chriftians of all denominations fhould lay afide antient animofities, and unite against the common enemy. The Author cannot therefore suffer another Edition to appear, without obferving, that nothing has been advanced inconfiftent with the most cor

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dial wish for union among the Members of the different Christian Churches, upon real Chriftian principles. But how far that is likely to be effected, while the Members of the church of Rome adhere to the authority of Councils, and of Popes, for the rule of their faith and practice, and while fo many of the Proteftant Churches and fectarists maintain the fupreme authority of human Reafon, as the judge of revealed doctrines, and the guide of life, let others determine. In point of fact, both parties reject the authority of Scripture; the one often ignorantly, when it disagrees with the decisions of their Church ; and the other often arrogantly, when it exceeds their comprehenfion, or opposes their opinions. THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE MUST THEN BE MADE THE POINT OF UNION; and therefore thofe Churches which maintain this authority, and prove their doctrines to be founded upon it, cannot quit their station, without evident injury to the great caufe of Religion, and without incurring individual guilt: for temporifing measures with respect to the fundamental doctrines of Chriftianity can never be justified, even upon the ground of expediency, though they may be highly laudable when confined to unimportant points of difference. Let the Roman Catholics, who profefs to venerate the Scriptures, but fairly examine the perfecuting, the tyrannical, the idolatrous decrees, and the unfounded dogmas of their Church, by the light of the Gospel, and the teftimony of History, and they must acknowledge them to be inconsistent with the Word of God, and cease to think their Church infallible. Let them compare the Prophecies concerning Antichrift with their corruptions, and with their prefent calamities; and they will fee the indifpenfable neceffity of reforming their Church, or of leaving her communion, according to the example of their predeceffors, who led the way to the separation of the truth from the errors

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with which it had been unhappily mingled. Surely then whatever tends to open their eyes to a conviction of these truths, muft tend to effect a union between them and the Epifcopal Proteftant Church, to whofe truly Christian principles they are indebted for receiving good for evil, and whose doctrines are the fame with thofe held by the Church of Rome itself, in the primitive ages of Chriftianity-a Church which, aware of the mischiefs attending the undue exaltation, as well as the depreffion, of human Reason, erected the standard of her faith upon the Scriptures, and has preserved it, with the bleffing of God, unchanged*, amidst the din of controversy, as the beacon of a troubled world.

Let those Proteftants, who, relying upon Reason as the fole director of their faith, difclaim every fpecies of authority, and renounce every doctrine not level to their understandings, be warned by the fatal tendency of their principles towards Anarchy and Atheism. Let them, "while they ftand fast in the liberty, with which Chrift has made them free," "bring every thought under captivity to the Gospel of Christ," and, "avoiding queftions that do gender ftrifes," remove the odium of a presumptuous versatility in their opinions. Thus indeed may the various Churches, now distracted by divifions, be reconciled; and though not in perfect unity of faith and practice, preferve the bond of peace in Chriftian charity,and strengthen themselves against the Enemy of all Religion, whatever are its forms and doctrines.

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* See the Bishop of Lincoln's Chriftian Theology, vol. ii.

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Lately published,

BY THE SAME AUTHOR,

The Second Edition,

With additional Notes and Authorities, of

A REPRESENTATION of the CONDUCT and OPINIONS of the PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANS, with Remarks on certain Affertions of Mr. GIBBON, and Dr. PRIESTLEY, in Eight Sermons preached at Oxford, at the Bampton Lecture in 1790.

In One Volume Octavo, boards, 5s.

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