46 AN HUMBLE ATTEMPT, &C. gives happy directions to peace and love amongst all fellow-chris- tians that hold the few necessary articles of faith and practice, though theymay differ widely in their opinions about other things. While you release yourselves from the pretended authority of a national church, because Christ in the New Testament has not established any such church on earth, see that you do not dare pretend to authority yourselves, nor presume to impose any thing in doctrine, duty or worship on the mindsor consciences of your brethren amongst the dissenters, which Christ has not im- posed, for I am sure he has given you no such power; God alone is the Lord of conscience, and he has appointed his Sois Jesus to be King and Ruler of his church. The power of im- posing truth or duty on our belief and practice is vested only in him. ' l'Ire authority which is given to the rulers of the church, is but to declare what Christ has required and imposed. Go, says he to the apostles themselves, and teach all nations lo'ob- serve what I have commanded you ; Mat. xxviii. 20. All other circumstances of human actions in religious worship, which are necessary to be determined at all, are to be settled in congrega- tions by a friendly agreement among themselves, without any pretenceto superior authority and impositions. Dr. Calamyhas set this matter in a very good light, in his introduction to his se- cond volume of Moderate Non -conformity. Words ofcommand and authority in matters of God and conscience come out of the mouths of any set of men with a very ill grace, while they re- member that they are fellow-servants to one Lord, even the great and blessed God, and to Jesus his Son, who is appointed Lord of all ; but there is nothing more absurd, and inconsistent than the pretence Of protestant dissenters to command and im- posematters of faith, worship and practice beyond the plain rules of scripture. For a protestent who owns the bible to be a per feet and sufficient rule both for himself and his neighbour, and a dissenter who disclaims the authority of a whole national church in matters of religion and the things of salvation, I say for men of this character to assume an imposing power, this would be with a witness to build again the things you have de- stroyed, as the apostle speaks, Gal. ii. 18. and to make your- selves transgressors with evidence and shame. A protestant dissenter who persecutes his brother with bitter reproaches and condemnation, because he differs from him in some of the lesser points of,religion, and excludes him as unworthy of his commu- nion for the sake of mint, anise and cummin, or by the test of sonic unrighteous shibboleth, some ferias of orthodoxy or discip- lineof mere human invention, I know not a name proper for such a criminal; for while he pretends to maintain his own liberty, he makesbis brother his slave: Let us watch, my bre- thren, against any such impositions creeping in 'among us, add
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