SECTION VIIIì S1 of us the apostles, and of other christian churches ; let him not affect a singularity in things of less moment, nor give offence to the generality of the most serious and pious professors of the same faith in such little things as these are: But if any man, or any society of men, shall assume so much to themselves, as to pretend a divine authority to confine other churches and christians to a Most exquisite uniformity in everypunctilio that relates to religion and circumstances of wor- ship, even in things which God has not appointed, they throw us back again into a sort of Judaism, and make and impose new yokes of bondage; they pretend to bind what Christ has made free, and seem to usurp his prerogative: A pretence to such power appears to me to be the very spring and spirit of anti - christianism ; there is the foundation for papacy laid, though it has not arisen yet to an universal supremacy, to an infallible chair, and a triple crown. All christians are bound by the New Testament to worship one God, even God theFather who dwells in heaven, in the name of one Mediator, Jesus Christ, by the aids or operations of one Spirit, they are bound to be baptized into these names, and to re- member the death of Christ in the holy,supper, to trust in the promises of the gospel, and to practise the precepts of it in an uniform life of holiness. This is evident and certain, and per- haps this may be thought almost sufficient to maintain the unity of the christian church. But still let it be observed, that where christians are fallen into very different opinions in any important mattersof doctrine or duty, or where their sentiments are so ex- tremelydivided, and perhaps contrary to each other in matters of worship and order, that they cannot agree and join in the same forms andmodes of divine service, or where they have not cha- rity enough to bear with each other's differences in things of less moment; they ought not to force themselves, nor to be forced into one society or church; but they should join themselves to such distinct societies as are nearest of theirown mind ; for their edi- fication in faith, holiness and love, is one great and chief end of church-fellowship: Though the men of Israel were bound by law to join three times a year to worship God who dwelt in the temple or taber- nacle by the appointed sacrifices of the passover, pentecost, &c. yet they were not boundby any law of God to attend that,syna- gogue which was nearest to their own dwelling, where 'prayer and praise was performed, and instructions and exhortations given to the people. herein they had, or they should have had liberty to chose their fellow-worshippers and the synagogue where they would worship, if they had any scruple upon their consci- ences about the practice of that which was nearest to them. And the sárne liberty belongs to christians in every age and nation. n 2
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