ESSAY VII. 195 devil for little-differences, and has exposed them to tedious and sharp sufferings for refusing to submit to particular gestures in worship, and airy signs, for wearing a short garment in prayer in the place of a long one, or black instead of white ; and some of her sons have delighted to execute these censures, when they have found much gain arising from such severe godliness. I could wish she had always exercised the same charity toweak consciences that she does to slender purses ; for she allows a christian liberty to " poor beneficed men and curates, not being able to providethemselves long gowns, that they may go in short ones." ILA ninth spring of this uncharitable practice isfixing up- on some necessary and special point in christianity, and setting it up in opposition to the rest, or at best in opposition to some one of the rest. " I have long observed, says an ingenious writer, that christians of different parties have been eagerly laying hold on particular parts of the system of divine truths, and have been contending about them as ifeach had been all ; or as if the sepa- ration of the members from each other, and from the head, were the preservation of the body instead of its destruction. They have been zealous to espouse the defence, and to maintain the honour and usefulness of each apart ; whereas their honour as . well as usefulness, seems to me to lie much in their connexion : And suspicions haveoften arisen betwixt the respective defenders of each, which have appeared so unreasonabe and absurd, as if all the preparations for securing one part of a ship in a storm were to be censured as a contrivanceto sink the rest" Thus far Dr. Doddridge in a late preface. And I think we may as well borrow the similitude express- ly from the scripture itself; 1 Cor. xii. 14-21. The body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body ? Andhow ridiculous would it be if we should suppose " the ear should say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing ? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling ? And if they were all one member, where were the body ? The eye cannot say unto the hand I have noneed of thee ; nor again, the head to the feet I have no need of you. Ver. 27. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. In the same manner, repentance, faith, and love are three necessary graces or virtues that go to make up a christian ; and Imight cite several texts of scripture, where eachof these three are made necessary to christianity. Is it not therefore a most unreasonable 'thing to set up either repentance, faith or love so high, as though the whole of christianity was contained in it, when it is evident that nothing else can make a. Christian, but
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