.5752 CHARACTER OF A SOUND, perfect and corrupt. The solid Christian hath his eye upon all the churches in the world, in the determining of such questions; he considereth what worship is offered to God in the churches of the several parties ofChristians, the Greeks, Armenians, Abassines, Lutherans, &c., as wellas what is done in the country where he liveth ; and he considereth whether God disown and reject the worship of almost all the churches in the world, or not ; for he dare no further reject them than God rejecteth them. Nor will he voluntarily separate from those assemblies where the presence of Christ, in his Spirit and acceptance, yet remaineth. And his fuller acquaintance with the gracious nature, office, and tenderness of Christ, together with greater love to his brethren,,cloth cause him in this to judge more gently than young censorious Christians do. And his humble acquaintance with his own infirmities maketh him the more compassionate to others. If he should think that God would reject all that order not and word not their prayers aright, he would be afraid of being rejected himself, who is still conscious of greater faultiness in his own prayers, than a mere de- fect in words and order; even of a great defectiveness in that faith, and desire, and love, and zeal, and reverence, which should be manifested in prayer. Though he be more apprehensive than others of the excellency and necessity of the holiness and spirit- uality of the soul in worship, yet, withal, he is more judicious and charitable Ain the peevish and passionate infant Christians, who think that God cloth judge as they do, and seeth no grace where they see none ; and taketh all tobe superstitious or fanatical, that differ from their opinions or manner of worship ; or. that he is as ready to call every error, in the methodor the words of prayer, idol- atry, or will-worship, as those are that speak not what they know, but what they have heard some teachers, whom they reverence, say before them. "He that dwelleth in love, doth dwell in God, and God in him." And he that dwelleth in God, is liker to be best acquainted with his mind, concerning his children and his wor- ship, than he that dwelleth in wrath, and pride, and partiality. 2. But theweak Christian, (though, so far as he bath grace,'he is of the same mind, and abhorreth discord and division among the flockof Christ, yet,) being more dark, and selfish, anddistempered, he is much snore prone to unwarrantable separations and divisions than the stronger Christian is. He is narrower sighted, and look- eth'little further than his own acquaintance, and the country where he liveth, and mindeth not sufficiently the general state of the churches through the world, nor understandeth well the interest of Christ and Christianity in the earth. His knowledge and ex- perience being small, his charity also is but small; and a little thing tempteth him to condemn another, and aggravate his faults,
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